GREEN 


AMELIAEBARE 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


"  THEY  RESTED  ON  THE  BENCHES,  AND  MADE  LITTLE  CONFIDENCES, 
AND  WERE  VERY  HAPPY." 


The  Belle  of 
Bowling  Green 

By  AMELIA  E.  BARR 


Author  of  "  The  Bow  of  Orange  Ribbon  ;  "  "The 
Maid  of  Maiden  Lane,"  Etc. 


With  Illustrations 
By  WALTER  H.  EVERETT 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,     ^     *    * 
&    *     PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1904, 

BY 

DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY 


Published,  Octobet 


PRINTED    IN    NEW    YORK,  U.  S    A 


To  My  Friend 

WARREN  SNYDER 

A  Bookman  and  a  Lo<uer  of  Books 

This  Novel  is  Dedicated 


-4  Ctf^^C^if^f^ 

1U57U6O 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  FAGS 

I  MONDAY'S  DAUGHTERS ...  3 

II  THE  SPRING  OF  LIFE        30 

III  A  SWEETNESS  MORE  DESIRED  THAN  SPRING        ...  61 

IV  INTRODUCES  MB.  ST.  ANGE        81 

V  A  CHAIN  OF  CAUSES       115 

VI  THE  MIRACLE  OF  LOVE , 149 

VII  THE  INCIDENT  OF  MARRIAGE      .,.        ...        ...  194 

VIII  THE  ROSE  OF  RENUNCIATION 226 

IX  THE  REPROOF  OF  THE  SWORD 252 

X  THE  STAR  OF  PEACE       296 

XI  AFTERWARD ,..  321 


Prologue 


O  shades  of  respectable  Vans! 

O  Livingstons,  Kennedys,  Jays! 
Lend  me  your  names  to  conjure  with, 
And  bring  back  the  fine  old  days — 
When  the  trade  and  wealth  of  the  city 

Lay  snugly  the  rivers  between, 
And  the  homes  of  its  merchant  princes, 
Were  built  round  the  Bowling  Green. 

Here's  to  the  homes  that  are  past! 
Here's  to  the  men  that  have  been ! 
Here's  to  the  heart  of  New  York, 
That  beats  on  the  Bowling  Green ! 

Here's  to  the  men  who  could  meet 

Mockers  and  doubters,  with  smiles; 
And  planning  for  centuries  hence, 

Lay  out  their  city  by  miles. 
It  has  spread  far  out  to  the  North, 

It  has  spread  to  the  East  and  the  West, 
Though  the  men  who  saw  it  in  dreams, 
Now  sleep  ia  old  Trinity's  breast. 

Here's  to  the  homes  that  are  past! 
Here's  to  the  men  that  have  been ! 
Here's  to  the  heart  of  New  York, 
That  beats  on  the  Bowling  Green ! 


PROLOGUE 

And  here's  to  the  maids  of  the  past! 

(They  were  beautiful  maids  we  know,) 
That  strolled  in  the  Battery  Park, 
In  the  years  of  the  Long  Ago. 
And  though  maids  of  to-day  are  fair, 

(No  lovelier  ever  have  been) 
They  are  proud  to  be  called  by  the  names 
Of  the  Belles  of  the  Bowling  Green. 
Here's  to  the  men  of  the  past! 

Here's  to  the  maids  that  have  been ! 
Here's  to  the  heart  of  New  York, 
That  beats  on  the  Bowling  Green ! 


The  Belle  of  Bowling  Green 


r ?!**•         I'Pf" —  """''  ~-     'lpri 

CHAPTER 
ONE 

Monday's  Daughters 


E 


city  has  some  locality  to  which  its 
heroic  and  civic  memories  especially  clingj^  ' 
and  this  locality  in  the  city  of  New  York  is 
the  historic  acre  of  the  Bowling  Green. 
With  that  spot  it  has  been  throughout  its 
existence,  in  some  way  or  other,  unfailingly  linked;  and  its 
mingled  story  of  camp  and  court  and  domestic  life  ought  to 
make  the  Bowling  Green  to  the  citizens  of  New  York  all 
that  the  Palladium  was  to  the  citizens  of  ancient  Troy.  For 
as  the  Palladium  held  in  one  hand  a  pike,  and  in  the  other 
hand  a  distaff  and  spindle,  so  also,  the  story  of  the  Bowling 
Green  is  one  of  the  pike  and  the  distaff.  It  has  felt  the 
tread  of  fighting  men,  and  the  light  feet  of  happy  maidens; 
and  though  showing  a  front  of  cannon,  has  lain  for  nearly 
three  centuries  at  the  open  seaward  door  of  the  city,  like  a 
green  hearthstone  of  welcome. 

In  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth,  and  the  early  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  Bowling  Green  was  in  a  large 
measure  surrounded  by  the  stately  homes  of  the  most  honour 
able  and  wealthy  citizens;  and  though  this  class,  before  the 
war  of  1812,  had  began  to  move  slowly  northward,  it  was 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

«CO<S^^»»*SS»»»<^==>000<S^3>OMI<^IS>6CO<5S5>OCO«S23>«CO-^S='tCO<:^s>eMI<^I=!»<^S5<»-=;:rs'<K10 

some  years  later  a  very  aristocratic  quarter,  especially  fa 
voured  by  the  rich  families  of  Dutch  extraction,  who,  having 
dwelt  for  many  generations  somewhere  around  the  Fort  and 
the  Bowling  Green,  were  not  easily  induced  to  relinquish 
their  homes  in  a  locality  so  familiar  and  so  dear  to  them. 

Thus  for  nearly  one  hundred  and  forty  years  there  had 
been  Bloommaerts  living  in  the  old  Beaver  Path,  and  in 
Bloommaert's  Valley,  or  Broad  Street,  and  when  Judge  Ge- 
rardus  Bloommaert,  in  1790,  built  himself  a  handsome  dwell 
ing,  he  desired  no  finer  site  for  it  than  the  Bowling  Green. 
It  was  a  lofty,  roomy  house  of  red  brick,  without  extraneous 
ornament,  but  realising  in  its  interior  arrangements  and  fur 
nishings  the  highest  ideals  of  household  comfort  and  elegance. 

Sapphira,  his  only  daughter,  a  girl  of  eighteen  years  old, 
was,  however,  its  chief  charm  and  attraction.  No  painting 
on  all  its  walls  could  rival  her  living  beauty;  and  many  a 
young  citizen  found  the  road  to  the  Custom  House  the  road 
of  his  desire.  For  was  there  not  always  the  hope  that  he 
might  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  lovely  Sapphira  at  the  window 
of  her  home?  Or  meet  her  walking  on  the  Mall,  or  the 
Battery,  and  perhaps,  if  very  fortunate,  get  a  smile  or  a  word 
from  her  in  passing. 

All  knew  that  they  could  give  themselves  good  reasons  for 
their  devotions;  they  did  not  bow  to  an  unworthy  idol. 
Sapphira  Bloommaert  had  to  perfection  every  mystery  and 
beauty  of  the  flesh — dark,  lambent  eyes,  hardly  more  lambent 
than  the  luminous  face  lighted  up  by  the  spirit  behind  it; 

4 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


nut-brown  hair,  with  brows  and  long  eyelashes  of  a  still 
darker  shade;  a  vivid  complexion;  an  exquisite  mouth;  a 
tall,  erect,  slender  form  with  a  rather  proud  carriage,  and 
movements  that  were  naturally  of  superb  dignity:  "  the  airs 
of  a  queen,"  as  her  cousin  Annette  said.  But  Sapphira  had 
no  consciousness  in  this  attitude  ;  it  was  as  natural  as  breath 
ing  to  her  ;  and  was  the  result  of  a  perfectly  harmonious  phys 
ical  and  moral  beauty,  developed  under  circumstances  of 
love  and  happiness.  All  her  life  days  had  been  full  of  con 
tent  ;  she  looked  as  if  she  had  been  born  smiling. 

This  was  exactly  what  her  grandmother  Bloommaert 
said  to  her  one  morning,  and  that  with  some  irritation;  for 
the  elder  woman  was  anxious  about  many  people  and  many 
things,  and  Sapphira's  expression  of  pleasant  contentment 
was  not  the  kind  of  sympathy  that  worry  finds  soothing. 

"  In  trouble  is  the  city,  Sapphira,  and  over  that  bit  of  hair- 
work  you  sit  smiling,  as  if  in  Paradise  we  were.  I  think, 
indeed,  you  were  born  smiling." 

"The  time  of  tears  is  not  yet,  grandmother;  when  it 
comes,  I  shall  weep  —  like  other  women." 

"  Weep  !  Yes,  yes  ;  but  one  thing  remember  —  deliver 
ance  comes  never  through  tears.  Look  at  Cornelia  Des- 
brosses  ;  dying  she  is,  with  her  own  tears  poisoned." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  Cornelia  ;  I  wish  that  she  had  no  cause 
to  weep,"  and  with  these  words  she  did  not  smile.  It  had 
suddenly  struck  her  that  perhaps  it  was  not  right  or  kind  to 
be  happy  when  there  was  so  much  fear  and  anxiety  in  her  na- 

5 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


tive  city.  The  idea  was  new  and  painful  ;  she  rose  and  went 
with  it  to  the  solitude  of  her  own  room;  and  her  mother 
after  silently  watching  her  exit,  said  : 

"  She  is  so  gentle,  so  easily  moved  —  was  it  worth 
while?" 

"You  think  so?  Give  Sapphira  a  motive  strong  enough, 
and  so  firm  she  will  be  —  so  impossible  to  move.  Oh,  yes, 
Carlita,  I  know  !  " 

"  Indeed,  mother,  she  obeys  as  readily  as  a  little  child. 
Our  will  is  her  will.  She  bends  to  it  just  like  the  leaves  of 
that  tree  to  the  wind." 

"  Very  good  !  but  there  may  come  a  day  when  to  your  will 
she  will  not  bend;  when  a  rod  of  finely  tempered  steel  will 
be  more  pliant  in  your  hand  than  her  wish  or  will.  We  shall 
see.  She  is  a  very  child  yet,  but  times  are  coming  —  are 
come  —  that  will  turn  children  quickly  into  men  and  women. 
Our  Gerardus,  where  is  he?  " 

"  He  left  home  rather  earlier  than  usual.  He  was  sure 
there  was  important  news."  Mrs.  Bloommaert  spoke  coldly. 
Her  mother-in-law  always  set  her  temper  on  edge  with  the 
claim  vibrating  through  the  two  words  "  our  Gerardus." 
"  There  is  so  much  talk  and  nothing  comes  of  it  but  annoy 
ance  to  ourselves,"  she  continued,  "  the  cry  has  been  war  for 
five  years.  It  comes  not." 

"  It  is  here.  At  the  street  corners  I  saw  the  bill-man  past 
ing  up  news  of  it.  In  every  one's  mouth  I  heard  it.  Alive 
was  the  air  with  the  word  war;  and  standing  in  groups,  men 

6 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


were  talking  together  in  that  passion  of  anger  that  means 
war,  war,  and  nothing  but  war." 

"  The  blood  of  New  York  is  always  boiling,  mother. 
When  Gerardus  comes  he  will  tell  us  if  it  be  war.  I  shall 
not  be  sorry  if  it  is.  When  one  has  been  waiting  for  a  blow 
five  long  years,  it  is  a  relief  to  have  it  fall.  Who  is  to 
blame?  The  administration,  or  the  people?  " 

"As  well  may  you  ask  whether  it  is  the  riddle,  or  the 
fiddlestick,  that  makes  the  tune." 

"At  any  rate  we  shall  give  England  a  good  fight.  Our 
men  are  not  cowards." 

"  Carlita,  all  men  would  be  cowards  —  if  they  durst." 

"Mother!" 

"  If  they  durst  disobey  the  nobler  instincts  which  make 
the  lower  ones  face  their  duty." 

"Oh!" 

"  Carlita,  you  have  no  ideas  about  humanity." 

"  I  think  mother  I,  at  least,  understand  my  husband  and 
sons  —  as  for  Sapphira  -  " 

"  More  difficult  she  will  be  —  and  more  interesting.  Peter 
and  Christopher  are  all  Dutch  ;  they  that  run  may  read  them, 
but  in  Sapphira  the  Dutch  and  French  are  discreetly  mingled. 
She  has  tithed  your  French  ancestors,  Carlita  —  take  good 
heed  of  her." 

"  They  were  of  noble  strain." 

"  Surely,  that  is  well  known.  Now  I  must  go  home,  for  I 
know  that  Annette  is  already  afraid,  and  there  is  the  dinner 

7 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


to  order.  Pigeons  do  not  fly  into  the  mouth  ready  roasted, 
and  Commenia  is  getting  old.  She  is  lazy,  too;  but  so! 
The  year  goes  round  and  somehow  we  do  not  find  it  all 
bad." 

As  she  finished  speaking,  Sapphira  came  hastily  into  the 
room.  Her  face  was  flushed,  her  eyes  flashing,  and  she  cried 
out  with  unrestrained  emotion:  "Mother!  Mother!  We 
must  put  out  our  flags!  All  the  houses  on  the  Green  are 
flagged!  Kouba  has  them  ready.  He  will  help  me.  And 
you  too,  mother  ?  Certainly  you  will  help  ?  Kouba  says  we 
are  going  to  fight  England  again !  I  am  so  proud !  I  am  so 
happy !  Come,  come,  mother !  " 

"  My  dear  one,  wait  a  little.  Your  father  will  be  here 
soon,  and " 

"Oh,  no,  no!     Father  may  be  in  court.    He  is  likely  with 
the  mayor.     Perhaps  he  is  talking  to  the  people.     We  can 
not  wait.     We  must  put  out  the  flags — the  old  one  that  has 
seen  battle,  and  the  new  one  that  is  to  see  it." 

"  But  Sapphira " 

"  I  have  the  flags  ready,  mother.  Come  quickly,"  and 
without  further  parley  she  ran  with  fleet,  headlong  steps  to 
the  upper  rooms  of  the  house.  Madame,  her  grandmother, 
smiled  knowingly  at  her  daughter-in-law. 

"  The  will  that  is  your  will?  "  she  asked;  "  where  is  it? 
You  can  see  for  yourself,  Carlita." 

"  The  news  seems  to  be  true  at  last.  You  had  better  wait 
for  Gerardus,  mother.  He  will  tell  us  all  about  it." 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


"  The  news  will  find  me  out  in  Nassau  Street." 
"  Commenia  can  manage  without  you  for  one  day." 
"  There  are  strawberries  to  preserve.     I  like  to  manage  my 
affairs  myself.     I  have  my  own  way,  and  some  other  way 
does  not  please  me." 

"  Well,  then,  I  shall  go  to  Sapphira.  My  hands  are  itch 
ing  for  the  flags.  I  am  sure  you  understand,  mother." 

"  Understand  !  If  it  comes  to  that,  I  made  up  my  mind 
many  years  ago  about  those  English  tyrants  —  and  I  have  not 
to  make  it  over.  I  think  about  them  and  their  ways  exactly 
as  I  did  when  I  sent  my  dear  Peter  with  Joris  Van  Heem- 
skirk's  troops  to  fight  them.  Gerardus  was  but  a  boy  then  — 
ten  years  old  only  —  but  he  cried  to  go  with  his  father.  God 
be  with  us!  Wives  and  mothers  don't  forget,  O  wee! 
O  wee!  " 

Her  voice  softened,  she  looked  wistfully  backward  and, 
with  outstretched  hand,  waved  her  daughter-in-law  upstairs. 
Then  she  opened  for  herself  the  wide,  front  entrance.  The 
door  was  heavy,  but  it  swung  easily  to  her  firm  grip. 
And  yet  she  was  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  her  life 
days. 

With  a  slow  but  imperious  step  she  took  the  road  to  her 
own  home.  She  was  not  afraid  of  the  crowd,  nor  of  the  en 
thusiasm  that  moved  it.  At  every  turn  she  was  recognised 
and  saluted,  for  Madame  Bloommaert  was  part  and  parcel 
of  the  honour  of  the  city,  and  her  bright,  handsome  face  with 
its  coal-black  eyes  and  eyebrows,  and  snow-white  hair  lying 

9 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

like  mist  upon  its  brown  temples,  was  a  familiar  sight  to  old 
and  young.  She  was  rather  small  of  stature,  but  so  disdain 
fully  erect  that  she  gave  the  impression  of  being  a  tall 
woman — an  illusion  aided  by  the  buoyancy  of  her  temper  and 
the  definite  character  of  her  movements. 

Her  home  was  on  lower  Nassau  Street  between  Beaver 
and  Marketfield.  It  had  been  her  residence  for  fifty  years, 
and  was  as  perfectly  Dutch  as  herself  in  its  character. 
Nothing  in  the  street,  however,  was  more  interesting  than 
this  human  habitation.  It  appeared  to  have  created  for 
itself  a  sort  of  soul,  so  instinct  with  personality  was  it.  A 
large  garden  surrounded  it,  though  its  space  had  been  slowly 
curtailed  as  land  in  the  vicinity  became  valuable;  yet  there 
was  still  room  enough  for  some  fine  shrubbery,  a  little  grass 
plot,  beds  of  flowers,  strawberry  and  other  vines,  and  the 
deep,  cool  well,  with  its  antique  shed  full  of  bright  pewter 
dishes. 

The  house  itself  was  of  red  brick,  mellow  and  warm,  and 
soft  to  the  eyes  with  the  rains  and  sunshine  of  half  a  century ; 
and  nothing  could  be  finer  than  its  front,  sending  up  sharp 
points  to  the  sky,  with  a  little  boat  weathercock  on  the  tallest 
point  boxing  about  in  the  wind.  Over  the  wide  casements  a 
sweetbrier  climbed,  and  nodded  its  tiny  flower ;  and  the  ver 
anda,  cunningly  carved  along  the  bottom  railing  in  an  open 
leaf  pattern,  was  a  perfect  bower  of  Virginia  creeper. 

She  opened  the  garden  gate,  and  its  mingled  perfumes  made 
her  sigh  with  pleasure.  Such  boxwood  borders,  such  gay, 

10 


sweet  flowers,  such  brick  walks  laid  in  zig-zag  pattern,  and 
shaded  by  elm  and  maple  trees  are  not  to  be  found  in  New 
York  city  now,  but  to  madame  they  were  only  the  beautiful 
frame  of  her  daily  life.  She  cast  her  eyes  down  to  see  if 
the  walk  had  been  swept,  and  then  looked  up  at  the  house 
as  if  it  were  a  friend.  The  flag  she  loved,  the  flag  under 
which  her  young  husband  had  died  fighting  for  liberty,  was 
floating  from  her  window.  She  stood  still  and  gazed  at  it. 
Without  words  it  spoke  to  her,  and  without  words  she  an 
swered  its  claim.  In  a  moment  she  had  accepted  whatever  of 
trial  or  triumph  it  might  bring  her. 

She  went  forward  more  hastily,  but,  ere  she  reached  the 
entrance,  a  very  pretty  girl  came  running  to  meet  her. 
"Have  you  heard  the  news,  grandmother?"  she  cried. 
"Are  you  not  very  happy?  What  did  Sapphira  say?  And 
Aunt  Carlita? — and  uncle? — and  all  of  them?  " 

Madame  was  unable  to  answer  her  questions.  She  clasped 
her  hand  firmly,  and  went  with  her  into  the  house.  Straight 
to  the  main  living  room  she  went,  an  apartment  in  which  the 
dearest  portion  of  her  household  gods  were  enshrined :  mas 
sive  silver  services  on  a  richly  carved  sideboard ;  semi-lucent 
china  in  the  corner  cupboard ;  three  pictures  of  Teniers  that 
one  of  her  husband's  ancestors  had  bought  from  the  hands  of 
the  great  painter  himself;  and  chairs  of  antique  workman 
ship  that  had  crossed  the  ocean  with  Samuel  Bloommaert  in 
1629  when  he  bought  Zwanendael,  the  Valley  of  the  Swans. 
The  wide,  open  fireplace  of  this  room  was  in  itself  a  picture. 

II 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


The  deep  cavity  at  the  back  and  the  abutting  jambs  were 
coloured  a  vivid  scarlet,  with  a  wash  made  from  iron  dust; 
the  hearthstone  was  white  as  snow  with  pipeclay,  and  in  front 
of  the  heavy  brass  irons  was  a  tall  blue  and  white  jar  with 
dragons  for  handles,  holding  a  bunch  of  red  roses,  mingled 
with  green  asparagus  branches.  The  broad  chimney  piece 
above  this  home  picture  had  also  its  distinctive  charm.  It 
shone  with  silver  candlesticks,  their  snuffers,  and  little  trays. 
It  kept  the  silver  posset  pan  that  had  made  the  baby's  food 
half  a  century  ago  ;  the  christening  cups  of  her  son  Gerardus 
and  her  daughter  Elsie;  and  two  beautiful  lacquered  tea- 
caddies  from  India  and  China. 

Opposite  the  fireplace,  at  the  end  of  the  room,  there  was  a 
long  table  black  with  age  and  heavy  with  Nuremburg  carv 
ing  ;  but  it  was  on  a  small  round  one  which  stood  by  an  open 
window  that  a  dinner  service  for  two  persons  was  very 
prettily  laid.  Madame  sat  down  in  a  chair  near  it,  anc 
Annette  took  off  her  scarf  and  bonnet  and  long  gloves,  and 
chattered  volubly  as  she  did  so  : 

"  I  know  you  would  like  our  flag  to  be  out  as  soon  as  the 
rest,  grandmother,  and  the  Yates'  flag  was  flying,  and  the 
Vanderlyns'.and  I  had  hard  work  to  get  ours  flying  before  the 
Moores'  and  the  Rivingtons'.  I  thought  the  whole  city  had 
gone  mad,  and  I  sent  Mink  and  Bass  to  find  the  reason  out. 
They  stopped  so  long  !  and  when  they  came  br.ck,  they  said  it 
was  because  we  are  going  to  fight  England  again.  How  men 
do  love  to  fight,  grandmother  !  " 

12 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


"  When  for  their  liberty  and  their  homes  men  fight  they 
do  well,  do  they  not?  " 

"  If  you  had  heard  Peter  Smith  talking  to  a  little  crowd 
at  our  very  gate,  you  would  think  men  found  the  reason  for 
their  existence  in  a  gun  or  a  sword.  He  said  we  should  whip 
England  in  about  six  weeks,  and  -  " 

"  Thr.t  is  enough,  Annette.  The  sort  of  rubbish  that 
Peter  talks  and  simpletons  believe  I  know.  We  shall  win  our 
fight,  no  doubt  of  that;  but  in  six  weeks!  No,  it  may  as 
likely  t.t  six  years." 

"  Grandmother  !  Six  years  !  And  will  there  be  no  balls, 
and  suppers,  and  no  lovers  for  six  years  ?  Of  course,  all  the 
young  men  who  are  to  be  noticed  will  prefer  fighting  to  any 
thing  else;  and  what  shall  I  do  for  a  lover,  grandmother?  " 

"  There  is  always  Jose  Westervelt." 

"  He  will  not  do  at  all.  He  is  too  troublesome.  He 
thinks  I  ought  not  to  dance  with  any  one  but  him;  actually 
he  objects  to  my  speaking  to  some  people,  or  even  looking  at 
them.  It  is  too  uncomfortable.  I  do  not  like  tyranny  —  no 
American  girl  does." 

"  So  you  rebelled.  But  then,  do  you  expect  to  catch  fish 
without  wetting  yourself?  " 

"  It  has  been  done."  She  was  putting  on  her  grand 
mother's  feet  the  cloth  slippers  she  usually  wore  in  the  house, 
and  as  she  rose  she  perceived  with  a  smile  the  delicious  odour 
of  the  roasted  pigeons  which  a  negro  slave  was  just  bringing 
to  the  table. 

13 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  I  told  Commenia  to  roast  them,  grandmother.  I  knew 
you  would  want  something  nice  when  you  got  back." 

"  Before  the  fire  did  she  roast  them?  " 

"  Yes  —  on  skewers,  and  basted  them  with  fresh  butter. 
I  found  enough  peas  on  the  vines,  and  I  pulled  and  shelled 
them  myself,  for  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  keep  the  blacks 
off  the  streets." 

''  Thank  you,  dear  one." 

"  I  liave  had  such  a  happy  year,  grandmother,  and  now,  I 
suppose,  all  our  gaieties  will  be  ended." 

"Come,  come,  there  will  be  more  gaieties  than  ever.  I  am 
sure  that  the  Battery  will  be  put  in  fighting  trim;  then  the 
Bowling  Green,  with  soldiers,  will  be  alive.  What  will  fol 
low?  Drills  and  parades,  and  what  not;  and  in  all  the 
houses  round  about  the  Green  the  women  will  make  idols 
of  the  men  in  uniform.  And  to  be  sure  they  will  show  their 
adoration  by  meat  offerings  and  drink  offerings  ;  ceremonies, 
Annette,  which  generally  end  in  dancing  and  love-making." 

"  You  notice  everything,  grandmother." 

"  I  have  been  young  and  now  I  am  old  ;  but  love  never 
gets  a  day  older.  What  love  was  in  the  beginning,  he  is  now, 
and  ever  shall  be.  These  pigeons  are  very  good.  You  said 
you  had  some  at  the  Radcliffes'  yesterday  —  what  kind  of  a 
dinner  did  they  give?  " 

"  It  was  a  good  dinner,  but  not  a  dinner  to  be  asked  out  to  ; 
you  and  I  often  have  a  better  one  —  and  there  was  no  dancing, 
only  cards  and  games  —  and  Jose  Westervelt." 

14 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


"  Poor  Jose!  " 

"  Grandmother,  he  is  so  magisterial.  He  sets  up  his 
opinions  as  if  they  were  a  golden  image;  and  I  am  not  the 
girl  to  fall  down  before  them." 

"  He  is  a  distinguished  mathematician  already." 

"And  looks  it :  besides  he  knows  no  more  of  dancing  than 
a  Hindoo  knows  of  skating.  Also,  since  he  came  back  from 
England,  he  is  so  cold  and  positive  in  his  views,  and  so  stiff 
and  rigid  in  his  London-made  clothes,  that  I  cannot  endure 
him.  Did  you  see  Sapphira,  grandmother?  " 

"  Yes.  With  some  hair  work  she  was  busy — a  finger  ring, 
or  brooch  or  some  such  trifle.  There  will  be  other  work  soon, 
I  think.  In  the  last  war  we  had  to  make  all  our  own  cloth 
ing  and  most  of  our  household  necessities.  The  last  war! 
Oh,  Annette,  dear  one,  I  lost  everything  in  the  last  war !  " 

"  But  you  are  now  a  rich  woman,  grandmother." 

"  I  mean  not  that.  I  lost  your  grandfather;  he  was  every 
thing  to  me.  There  was  money,  yes;  and  there  was  prop 
erty;  but  all  in  a  bad  way  then.  Now;  well,  it  is  a  little 
different." 

"  However  did  you  manage?  " 

"  I  worked  and  hoped  and  helped  myself  and  others,  and 
left  the  rest  to  God.  While  I  slept  He  made  things  to  grow 
and  prosper.  And  when  this  war  is  over  we  shall  have 
settled  our  standing  among  the  nations  beyond  all  dispute, 
and  New  York  will  stride  forward  as  if  she  wore  the  seven- 
leagued  boots." 

15 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Then,  grandmother,  you  will  build  a  fine  house  past 
Trinity  Church  —  a  good  deal  past  it  —  perhaps  half  a  mile, 
or  even  a  mile,  and  we  shall  have  a  carriage  of  our  own  and 
be  among  the  quality." 

"  I  shall  never  leave  this  house,  Annette.  But  I  tell  you, 
my  dear  one  —  you  shall  go  to  Washington  every  season.  If 
your  uncle  and  aunt  Bloommaert  go  there,  that  will  be  suffi 
cient;  if  not,  I  have  friends  who  will  see  to  it.  Sapphira 
grows  wonderfully  handsome." 

"And  I,  grandmother?  " 

"  You  have  your  own  beauty.  You  need  not  to  envy  any 
one.  Now  I  am  tired  and  I  will  go  to  my  room.  I  want  to 
take  some  better  counsel  than  my  own." 

"  May  I  not  go  to  see  Sapphira,  grandmother?  I  want 
to  see  her  very  much." 

"  You  may  not  go  to-day.  Listen  ;  the  constant  tramp  of 
feet  and  the  noise  of  men  shouting  and  gathering  grows 
louder.  Stay  in  your  home." 

"  It  is  very  tiresome  !  Men  are  always  quarrelling  about 
something.  What  is  the  use  of  governments  if  they  can't 
prevent  war?  Any  one  can  settle  a  quarrel  by  fighting  over 
it.  I  do  not  see  what  good  fighting  does.  The  drums 
parading  round  will  give  us  headaches,  and  the  men  will  go 
swaggering  from  one  day  to  another  after  them.  I  am  in  a 
passion  at  President  Madison  —  just  too  when  summer  is  here, 
and  we  were  going  to  the  Springs,  and  I  was  sure  to  have  had 
an  enchanting  time." 

16 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


"  Thou  little  good-for-nothing!  Hold  thy  foolish  tongue! 
If  our  men  are  going  to  fight  it  is  for  thy  liberty  and  thy 
honour  and  thy  happiness.  Sit  still  an  hour  and  think  of 
that." 

She  shut  the  door  when  she  had  spoken  these  words,  and 
then  went,  a  little  wearily,  upstairs ;  but  it  any  one  had  seen 
her  half  an  hour  afterwards  sitting  with  closed  eyes  and 
clasped  hands  asleep  in  the  large  chair  that  stood  by  her  bed 
side,  they  would  have  said,  "  She  has  been  satisfied."  For 
though  she  looked  much  older  when  asleep,  her  face  then 
showed  nothing  but  that  sacred  peace  and  refinement  which 
comes  only  through  a  constant  idea  of  God's  care  and 
presence. 

Annette  stood  still  until  she  heard  her  grandmother's  door 
close;  then,  after  a  moment  or  two  of  indecision,  she  took 
from  under  the  sofa-cushion  a  book,  and  stood  it  up  before 
her  with  a  comical  air  of  judgment. 

"  It  is  all  your  fault,  you  unlucky  '  Children  of  The  Ab 
bey,'  "  she  said  sternly.  "  If  I  had  been  able  to  get  rid  of 
you,  I  should  have  gone  with  grandmother  to  Uncle  Gerard's 
house  this  morning;  and,  considering  the  news,  we  should 
certainly  have  remained  there  all  day.  And  as  grandmother 
says,  '  if  the  pot  boils,  it  always  boils  over  on  the  Bowling 
Green.'  I  ought  to  have  been  where  I  could  see  and  hear  all 
that  was  going  on.  I  think  Sapphira  might  have  sent  for 
me!  People  are  so  selfish,  and  affairs  always  work  so  con 
trary.  If  I  try  to  be  unselfish  nothing  good  comes  of  it — to 

17 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


me;  and  if  I  am  reasonably  selfish  then  I  am  sure  to  suffer 
for  it.  Grandfather  de  Vries  is  right ;  whenever  I  go  to  see 
him,  he  always  mumbles  to  me:  'see  now,  love  others  well,  but 
thyself  most  of  all.'  Grandfather  de  Vries  is  a  wise  man — 
every  one  says  so — and  he  tells  me  to  love  myself  best  of  all. 
Well,  I  shall  have  no  company  this  afternoon  but  these  silly 
'  Children  of  The  Abbey.'  They  are  as  distractingly  absurd 
as  they  can  be,  but  I  want  to  know  whether  they  get  married 
or  not." 

She  sought  this  information  with  great  apparent  interest, 
yet  ever  as  she  turned  the  fascinating  leaves,  she  let  the  book 
drop  down  a  minute  while  she  wondered  "  what  was  going 
on  on  the  Bowling  Green."  For  she  had  that  keen  impres 
sion  of  "  something  missed  "  which  frequently  and  mockingly 
informs  a  person  in  whom  selfishness  is  ingrained,  uncon 
scious,  hereditary. 

And  her  premonition  was  more  than  true.  Her  uncle  at 
that  very  hour  was  standing  on  the  topmost  step  of  the  flight 
leading  to  his  house  door,  and  there  was  a  crowd  of  young 
men  before  him — a  crowd  drunk  with  its  own  passionate  en 
thusiasm — who  would  not  be  satisfied  until  he  had  spoken. 
His  wife  and  his  daughter  stood  at  his  right  hand,  and  at  his 
left  his  son  Christopher  held  aloft  the  torn  and  stained  colours 
that  had  floated  above  "  Bloommaert's  Men  "  through  the 
heroic  days  of  the  War  for  Independence.  Shout  after  shout 
greeted  his  appearance,  and  when  there  was  a  moment's 
pause,  a  beautiful  youth  stepped  forward  and  called  out: 

18 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


"  Speak  to  us,  judge.  It  is  your  words  we  are  waiting 
for."  His  hat  was  in  his  hand,  and  his  bare  head,  crowned 
with  close,  clustering  curls,  was  lifted  to  the  judge.  For 
one  moment  his  eyes  sought  out  Sapphira,  and  she  caught  the 
glance,  and  it  went  to  her  heart  like  a  ray  of  sunshine.  Yet 
it  was  into  her  father's  face  she  smiled  as  she  gently  touched 
his  arm.  Then  he  spoke  as  if  a  burning  coal  had  been  laid 
on  his  lips,  and  the  very  air  felt  as  if  set  on  fire  by  his  words  : 

"  My  neighbours,  and  my  fellow  citizens  !  "  he  cried,  "  I 
have  hitherto  been  bitterly  against  this  war  with  England; 
but  now,  I  am  for  it.  With  all  my  heart  and  soul,  with  all 
my  body,  with  every  shilling  of  my  estate  I  am  for  it.  I 
have  always  been  a  true  and  consistent  Federalist.  But  now, 
there  are  no  Federalists!  there  are  no  Republicans!  We 
are  all  Americans!  Dutch  and  English  and  French  and 
Scotch,  all  are  to-day  Americans  !  America  is  the  mother  of 
us  all.  She  has  nursed  us  at  her  breast.  She  has  made  us 
free  from  all  ancient  tyrannies.  She  has  given  us  homes 
and  wives  and  children,  filled  our  granaries  with  the  finest  of 
the  wheat,  and  set  before  us  the  commerce  of  the  whole  earth. 
Shall  we  not  love  her?  Shall  we  not  defend  her  when  she  is 
insulted  and  wronged  and  threatened  ?  " 

A  roar  of  enthusiastic  assent  answered  these  questions. 

"If  we  must  fight  we  will  strike  no  soft  blows  in  battle. 
We  will  give  our  enemy  and  the  whole  world  this  lesson  — 
that  no  foreign  warships  can  safely  come  blustering  and  pil 
laging  our  coasts.  New  York  is  to  be  defended,  and  New 

19 


Yorkers  are  the  men  to  defend  their  native  city.  Will  you 
doit?" 

He  was  answered  by  a  shout  of  affirmation. 

"To  the  last  gun?" 

"  Yes." 

"To  the  last  man?" 

"Yes!     Yes!     You  will  stand  with  us,  Bloommaert  ?  " 

"  Living  or  dead  I  will  stand  with  you."  Then  he  took 
reverently  in  his  hands  the  faded  glorious  rag  that  Christo 
pher  Bloommaert  held. 

"  Look,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  as  tender  as  a  woman's — 
"  look  at  the  flag  that  never  waved  over  a  coward,  the  flag 
to  which  we  lifted  our  eyes  when  all  was  dark,  and  saw  vic 
tory  in  its  stars.  It  is  a  flag  made  for  free  men ;  will  you  ever 
let  England — ever  let  any  enemy — take  it  from  you  ?  " 

"We  will  die  for  it!" 

"  No,  you  will  live  for  it !  You  will  carry  it  from  vic 
tory  to  victory  and  fly  it  in  the  face  of  all  the  world — the  flag 
of  a  free  country — the  flag  of  men  that  will  have  nothing 
else,  and  nothing  less — than  absolute  liberty  and  absolute 
independence."  As  he  spoke  these  words  he  lifted  the  old 
banner  to  his  lips,  and  then  held  it  out  to  the  people. 

It  was  an  act  of  allegiance  that  embraced  every  soul  pres 
ent,  and  was  followed  by  a  moment  of  silence  that  throbbed 
with  emotion;  then  the  young  man  who  had  spoken  for  the 
company  looked  expressively  at  his  comrades,  and  they  turned 
northward  to  the  city,  their  hearts  burning  with  a  steady 

20 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


fervour  of  loyalty,  and  their  faces  full  of  that  dauntless  hope 
which  of  its  own  energy  fulfils  itself.  Quiet  they  could  not 
long  be,  and  when  they  reached  the  upper  end  of  the  Bowling 
Green,  they  began  to  sing;  softly  at  first,  but  gradually 
gathering  into  a  rattling  vocal  melody,  the  fiery  passion  of 
loyalty  that  filled  their  hearts: 

"  Here's  to  the  Squire  who  goes  to  parade  ! 

Here's  to  the  citizen  soldier! 
Here's  to  the  merchant  who   fights  for  his  trade 

Whom  danger  increasing  makes  bolder. 
Here's  to  the  lawyer,  who  leaving  his  bar 

Hastens  where  honour  doth  lead,  Sir, 
Changing  his  gown  for  the  ensigns  of  war, 
The  cause  of  his  country  to  plead,  Sir! 
Freedom  appears, 
Every    heart   cheers, 
And  calls  for  the  help  of  the  brave  Volunteers." 

They  sang  the  verse  to  the  gay  inspiring  music  of  its  old 
English  song,  and  then  gave  lustily  the  cheers  it  called  for. 
Their  echo  floated  into  the  Bloommaert  house,  where  the 
family  were  sitting  down  to  their  belated  dinner;  for  this 
commonplace  event  was  eagerly  accepted  as  a  relief.  To  eat 
and  to  drink,  that  would  mean  help  and  remission,  and  they 
had  felt  until  feeling  had  become  prostrating  and  oppressive. 

Christopher  made  the  first  remark,  and  this  was  to  quote 
the  last  line  of  the  song,  "  Calls  for  the  help  of  the  brave 
Volunteers,"  asking  after  a  short  pause,  "  Is  it  not  so, 
father?" 

21 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

DOO«4^^39<=SS»0»«==2»CCfl<SS>()00<^3»«(ia«^3>«CO<^=>«00<:^s>COO-i=s=>OCO<S!=s>C!5«K-'_->:;^-.i;-   CO 

"  Yes,  Christopher.     I  suppose  you  will  sail  soon?  " 

"As  soon  as  my  new  ship  is  ready.  Peter  is  hurrying  it 
forward.  I  am  impatient  to  be  off." 

"  Have  you  seen  Peter  to-day?  "  asked  his  mother. 

"  I  saw  him,  but  he  was  far  too  busy  to  talk.  The  ham 
mers  ring  in  his  ship-yard  from  the  first  streak  of  dawn  to  the 
last  glint  of  daylight.  And  now  the  demand  for  ships  will 
be  doubled." 

"  We  shall  want  soldiers  as  well  as  sailors,  Christopher," 
said  the  judge. 

"  That  is  true,  father,  and  they  will  not  be  to  beg  nor  to 
seek.  This  is  a  cause  that  knocks  at  every  man's  door. 
Leonard  Murray  is  only  one  of  many  rich  young  men  who  are 
raising  companies  at  their  own  expense." 

"  Then  it  was  Leonard  Murray  with  those  men  who  were 
here  an  hour  ago,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  "  I  felt  sure  of 
it ;  but  how  much  he  has  changed." 

"  In  some  ways,  yes;  in  general  he  is  just  the  same  good 
fellow  he  has  ever  been.  I  had  a  few  words  with  him  early 
this  morning,  and  he  asked  me  to  give  his  respectful  remem 
brance  to  you  and  to  Sapphira." 

"  It  is  four  or  five  years  since  I  saw  him ;  where  has  he 
been?" 

"  He  was  at  Yale  nearly  two  years;  then  he  went  with  a 
party  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi,  and  down  the  river  to 
New  Orleans.  He  was  staying  with  the  Edward  Liv 
ingstons  until  the  rumours  of  war  became  so  positive  that  he 

22 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


could  not  doubt  their  truth.  Then  he  sailed  from  New 
Orleans  to  Norfolk,  and  so  on  to  Washington.  He  reached 
Washington  the  very  day  of  the  proclamation  of  war  and 
came  so  rapidly  with  the  news  that  Mayor  Clinton  received 
it  some  hours  before  the  official  notice." 

"And  every  hour  is  of  the  greatest  importance  now,"  said 
the  judge.  "  Indeed,  I  have  hardly  time  for  my  afternoon 
pipe,  for  I  promised  Mr.  Clinton  to  meet  him  at  four 
o'clock." 

This  information  hurried  the  dinner  a  little,  and  Judge 
Bloommaert  took  his  smoke  very  restlessly.  After  he  had 
left  the  house,  Christopher  did  not  remain  long.  His  ship's 
progress  absorbed  his  thoughts,  and  he  was  not  a  talkative 
man.  His  ardour,  his  national  pride,  and  his  hatred  of  op 
pression  were  quite  as  potent  factors  with  Christopher  Bloom 
maert  as  with  any  patriot  in  New  York,  but  the  force  they  in 
duced  was  a  silent  and  concentrated  one.  On  land  he  seemed 
to  be  rather  a  heavy  man,  slow  in  his  movements  and  short  in 
his  speech;  but  the  passion  of  his  nature  was  only  biding  its 
opportunity,  and  those  who  had  ever  seen  Christopher 
Bloommaert  in  action  on  his  own  deck  knew  for  all  time 
afterwards  what  miracles  physical  courage  set  on  fire  by  patri 
otism  and  by  personal  interest  combined  might  accomplish. 

As  he  was  leaving  the  room  he  held  the  open  door  in  his 
hand  a  minute,  and  said :  "  Mother,  do  you  know  that 
Aaron  Burr  is  back?  He  put  up  his  sign  in  Nassau  Street 
yesterday ;  I  saw  it  this  morning." 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Dear  me,  Chris  !  I  hope  he  has  come  to  help  his  country 
in  her  trouble  —  that  would  be  only  right." 

"  Help  his  country  !  Aaron  Burr  help  !  The  man  is 
dead." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Chris?  You  said  he  was  back,  now 
you  say  he  is  dead." 

"  His  honour  is  slain,  and  all  men  have  lost  faith  in  him. 
The  man  is  dead." 

He  went  away  with  these  words,  and  Sapphira  and  her 
mother  watched  him  out  of  sight.  For  some  minutes  they 
did  not  speak  ;  then  Mrs.  Bloommaert  asked  :  "  Did  you 
know  Leonard  Murray  this  morning,  Sapphira?" 

"  Yes,  mother.  I  knew  him  at  once.  I  think  that  he 
passed  the  house  twice  yesterday.  I  was  not  quite  sure  then, 
but  this  morning  I  had  not  a  moment's  doubt.  I  wish  An 
nette  had  been  here.  She  will  be  very  much  disappointed." 

"Annette  would  have  spoiled  everything.  I  am  glad  she 
was  not  here." 

"Oh,  mother!" 

"Yes,  she  would.  I  will  tell  you  how.  When  your 
father  was  called  out,  and  took  his  stand  on  the  topmost  step, 
with  Christopher  and  the  flag  on  one  side  of  him  and  you  and 
I  on  the  other  side,  do  you  think  Annette  would  have  been 
satisfied  to  stand  with  us?  To  be  only  one  of  a  group? 
That  is  not  Annette's  idea  of  what  is  due  to  Annette." 

"  But  what  could  she  have  done  to  alter  it?  " 

"  She  would  have  said  in  her  pretty,  apologetic  way  that  it 
24 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


was  '  too  bad  to  crowd  us,  and  that  any  place  was  right  for 
her,'  and,  before  an  answer  was  possible,  she  would  have 
slipped  past  Christopher  and  seated  herself  on  the  second  step 
at  his  feet.  With  her  long  curls  and  her  white  frock,  and 
the  blue  snood  in  her  hair,  and  the  flag  above  her,  she  would 
have  made  a  picture  sufficiently  lovely  to  have  attracted  and 
distracted  every  man  present.  There  would  have  been  but 
a  poor,  divided  enthusiasm;  and  yet,  Annette  would  have 
been  so  naturally  and  so  innocently  conspicuous  that  both 
your  father  and  Christopher  would  have  been  unconscious  of 
her  small,  selfish  diplomacy." 

"Annette  is  so  pretty." 

"And  so  vain  of  her  beauty." 

"  That  is  true,  but  I  fancy,  mother,  even  the  flowers  are 
vain  of  their  beauty.  I  have  noticed  often  how  the  roses 
when  in  full  bloom,  sway  and  bend  and  put  on  languishing 
airs  as  if  they  knew  they  were  sweet  and  lovely.  And,  to  be 
sure,  I  have  frequently  when  I  have  looked  in  a  mirror  been 
very  glad  I  had  a  fair  face  and  a  good  form." 

"  It  was  a  very  indiscreet,  I  may  say  a  very  wrong  thing 
to  do." 

There  was  a  short,  penitential  silence,  and  then  Sapphira 
said: 

"  Though  to-morrow  is  Sunday,  may  I  go  and  see  Annette 
early  in  the  morning?  I  am  sure  both  grandmother  and 
Annette  will  like  to  know  about  father's  speech." 

"  I  can  assure  you  that  they  know  all  about  it  already. 

25 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

•«o<a=«o»«^s»M«^3'CCfl«^s»cce<s5=>«(io«^3>oco«s3>«ca<=>eto«^s>e(jo<2^>i)9<s;=>o9«s='«(i 

Kouba  was  not  here  to  wait  on  your  father  when  he  leit  the 
house — why?  Because  he  had  gone  as  fast  as  possible  to  his 
old  mistress  with  the  news.  Your  grandmother  gave  him  to 
your  father  when  we  were  married,  but  it  is  only  with  his  left 
hand  that  Kouba  has  served  us.  Your  grandmother  is  still 
first ;  he  goes  to  her  with  all  the  news  of  our  house ;  he  always 
has  done  so,  he  always  will  do  so.  Nassau  Street  already 
knows  all — and  more — that  happened  on  the  Bowling  Green 
to-day." 

Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  quite  correct  In  her  opinion.  Kouba 
had  not  even  waited  to  eat  his  dinner,  but  had  gone  at  once 
to  "  old  mistress  "  with  his  own  account  of  the  event.  And 
as  madame  was  in  her  room  asleep,  Annette  had  been  made 
the  recipient  of  his  views.  She  listened  and  she  understood, 
without  inquiry  or  dissent,  where  the  information  was  truth 
ful  and  where  Kouba  was  embroidering  the  occurrence  with 
his  personal  opinions.  She  accepted  all  apparently  with 
equal  faith,  and  then  told  the  old  man  to  "  go  to  the  kitchen 
and  get  his  dinner  and  a  bottle  of  'Sopus  beer." 

"  What  an  exciting  event !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  and  Kouba 
is  sure  that  Leonard  Murray  was  the  leader  of  the  crowd.  I 
believe  it.  It  was  Leonard  I  saw  with  the  Clark  boys  half 
an  hour  ago.  I  dare  say  he  is  staying  with  them.  I  must  go 
and  tell  grandmother." 

She  found  madame  awake,  and  quickly  gave  her  Kouba's 
news.  And  it  was  really  a  little  comfort  to  Annette  to  see 
her  grandmother's  disappointment.  "  So  sorry  am  I  that  I 

26 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 

|Bi^^M«aMfc«»<M<^»«*«G^ttMS94M«CMI)t«B>>flMaMIM0HMBMMa^PB 

came  away,"  she  said,  "  for  a  great  deal  I  would  not  have 
missed  that  scene,  Annette." 

"  No,  indeed,  grandmother!  I  think  it  will  be  very  hard 
to  sit  here  all  evening  and  not  know  what  is  going  on ;  shall 
we  walk  over  to  uncle's  now  ?  " 

"  Three  hours  after  luck?     No!  " 

"  Kouba  said  the  Clark  boys  were  in  the  crowd ;  suppose 
I  write  and  ask  Mrs.  Clark  and  Elsie  and  Sally  to  take  tea 
with  us.  Then  the  men  will  come  later,  and  we  shall  hear 
whatever  there  is  to  hear." 

"  The  Clarks  may  not  care  to  come." 

"Yes  they  will.  Let  me  write  and  ask  them.  We  do 
want  some  one  to  talk  to,  grandmother." 

Permission  being  at  last  obtained,  Annette  wrote  one  of  her 
nicest  notes  and  they  sent  it  with  a  slave  woman  across  the 
street  to  the  Clarks'  house.  Mrs.  Clark  read  it,  laughed,  and 
then  called  her  daughter  Sally. 

"  Sally,"  she  said,  "  that  little  minx  over  the  way  has  found 
out  that  Leonard  Murray  is  here.  Answer  this  invitation  as 
pleasantly  as  possible,  but  tell  her  we  cannot  leave  our  own 
home  to-night,  as  we  have  company." 

"  We  might  ask  Annette  here,  mother." 

"  That  is  what  she  expects  us  to  do." 

"  She  is  so  pretty  and  cheerful." 

"  We  will  do  without  her  beauty  and  her  cheerfulness  to 
night," 

"  Joe  is  very  fond  of  her." 

27 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

OCO<S=>IM<^3>a»<^S>«00<S3><l(KI«SS»(H10<Z5«OCO<SS=><)(IO<^S>0«0<S25»«CO^SS>l)»<^=0»<SS»MO 

"  That  is  not  the  question ;  answer  as  I  have  told 
you." 

But  though  Sally  made  the  answer  as  kind  as  her  own 
kind  heart,  nothing  atoned  to  Annette  for  the  fact  that  her 
little  scheme — though  one  with  a  double  aspect — had  failed 
in  both  directions. 

"  They  cannot  come,  grandmother,  and  they  do  not  even 
ask  us  over  there — they  have  company.  I  know  who  it  is, 
for  I  am  sure  I  saw  Leonard  Murray  with  the  Clark  boys  an 
hour  ago.  But  then " 

"What?" 

"  Sally  is  really  ugly,  and  though  Elsie  has  a  pretty  face, 
she  is  as  dowdy  as  can  be." 

"And  so  much  prettier  is  Annette  de  Vries — is  that  what 
you  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  '  the  because  '  of  the  slight." 

"  Of  such  a  thing  I  would  not  think.  '  The  because '  has 
nothing  to  do  with  us.  And  a  very  sweet  girl  is  Sally  Clark. 
Every  one  loves  her." 

"  Don't  scold  me,  grandmother.  I  have  had  already  three 
disappointments.  To-day  is  very  unlucky." 

"  Then  sit  still  and  let  it  go  by.  Take  the  days  as  they 
come  to  you,  child." 

Annette  did  not  immediately  answer.  She  had  gone  to  the 
window  and  was  looking  eagerly  out.  There  was  a  sound 
of  footsteps  and  of  voices  in  spirited  conversation.  Listening 
and  looking,  she  waited  until  voices  and  footsteps  became 

28 


MONDAY'S    DAUGHTERS 


faint  in  the  distance.  Then  she  turned  to  her  grandmother 
with  a  shrug  of  satisfaction  : 

"  I  was  right,  as  I  generally  am,"  she  said.  "  The  Clark 
boys,  with  Leonard  Murray,  have  just  gone  by.  Leonard  is 
their  company.  What  is  he  there  for?  He  never  used  to 
care  for  those  girls.  Before  he  went  to  college  '  from  Sap- 
phira  to  Sapphira  was  the  limit  of  his  way.'  " 

"  Thou  foolish  one!     He  is  none  of  thy  affair." 

"  I  do  not  care  a  button  for  Leonard  Murray,  but  I  think 
my  cousin  Sapphira  does,  and  —  and  -  " 

What  other  reasons  she  had  were  not  revealed.  She  stood 
at  the  window  with  an  air  of  mortification,  which,  however, 
soon  turned  to  one  of  pride  and  triumph;  and  then  she 
tapped  the  glass  merrily  to  her  thoughts. 

What  was  the  girl  dreaming  of?  Beauty's  conquests? 
Social  power?  Love  after  her  own  heart?  A  marriage 
which  would  hand  in  her  millennium?  Alas,  for  the  dreams 
of  youth!  Madame  watched  her  in  pitying  silence  —  she 
knew  how  they  would  end. 


prll ?ft HIT  •*<"  -  "'° 

CHAPTER 
TWO 

The  Spring  of  Life 


the  roll  of  the  drum  and  the  shrill  call 
of  the  fife,  the  days  went  in  a  manner  that 
1  was  far  from  being  disagreeable  to  the  youth 
ful  population  of  New  York.     They  enjoyed 
HJUuthe  thrill  of  a  fear  that  was  mingled  with 


much  excitement;  and  for  a  short  period  almost  a  license 
of  political  and  patriotic  temper  prevailed.  But  to  the 
more  responsible  citizens  the  news  of  war  was  far  from 
welcome;  so  unwelcome,  indeed,  that  only  a  few  days 
before  its  proclamation,  two  petitions  had  been  presented 
to  the  Senate  signed  by  three  hundred  and  ten  citizens 
of  New  York,  and  by  nearly  all  of  the  largest  mercantile 
houses,  praying  that  the  embargo  might  be  continued,  "  be 
cause  they  believed  it  would  produce  all  the  benefits  of  war 
without  its  calamities."  Mr.  Justice  Bloommaert  had  been 
one  of  the  signers  of  this  petition,  and  when  he  recovered  the 
equipoise  of  his  usually  calm  nature,  he  was  astonished  and 
a  little  annoyed  at  the  precipitancy  with  which  he  had  publicly 
changed  his  opinions.  It  was  in  a  measure  unaccountable, 
and  he  searched  all  the  outlying  posts  of  his  inmost  soul  to 

30 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


see  where  the  weak  point  had  been.  It  was  not  his  wife's 
sarcasms  or  his  daughter's  more  pronounced  sympathy  —  he 
was  used  to  their  wordy  warfare,  and  he  was  sure  that  no  per 
suasive  force  in  their  armoury  would  have  driven  him  to  the 
ill-advised  hastiness  of  his  unpremeditated  speech  on  the 
Bowling  Green. 

No,  it  was  "  the  doing  of  that  young  fool,  Leonard  Mur 
ray."  The  judge  had  returned  to  his  home  that  momentous 
Saturday  in  a  passionate  temper  of  hatred  to  England  and 
her  old  tyrannies.  He  had  been  irritated  by  the  lukewarm- 
ness  and  doleful  prophecies  of  the  majority  of  his  friends  and 
associates,  and  by  the  fact  that  every  newspaper  in  the  city 
was  opposed  to  the  war.  And  then,  while  his  wife  and 
daughter  were  stimulating  his  feverish  mood  of  disapproval, 
he  had  suddenly  been  called  to  the  front  to  stand  by  the 
opinions  of  others  and  to  declare  his  own.  He  felt  that 
somehow  he  had  been  tricked  by  circumstances,  and  his 
hand  forced  ;  and  that  young  Leonard  Murray  was  to  blame 
for  the  whole  affair.  He  had  never  liked  the  lad's  father, 
and  having  been  twice  obliged  to  decide  important  cases 
against  him,  the  elder  Murray  had  shown  his  resentment  in 
ways  that  had  been  both  irritating  and  injurious.  They  had 
also  been  distinctly  opposed  in  politics,  and,  moreover,  in  their 
youth  had  been  rivals  for  the  love  of  the  pretty  Carlita 
Duprey.  Now,  the  son  of  this  disagreeable  man  had  ap 
parently  taken  up  his  father's  power  to  be  at  least  unfavour 
able  to  him.  He  worked  himself  into  a  still,  hot  passion 

31 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


against  the  youth,  and  determined  then  and  there  to  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  him. 

Not  that  he  intended  to  recede  from  any  word  he  had  ut 
tered.  He  told  himself  instantly  that  he  had  only  declared 
the  truth,  and  that  he  would  stand  for,  and  by,  every  letter  of 
his  speech.  But  he  wished  that  he  had  made  that  speech 
voluntarily,  in  some  regularly  called  meeting,  and  not  in 
response  to  a  request  voiced  by  young  Leonard  Murray. 
That  was  the  sore  point  of  the  hurt,  so  that  he  hardly  touched 
it,  even  in  thought,  but  reverted  at  once  to  his  speech,  which 
struck  him  now  as  grandiloquent,  turgid,  and  bombastic  — 
not  the  kind  of  speech  he  would  have  made  in  the  City  Hall 
or  at  the  Common  Council  by  any  means,  and  a  tingling  sense 
of  chagrin  answered  this  conviction.  It  was  thoughts  similar 
to  these  which  surged  with  passionate  strength  through  his 
mind  as  he  stood  on  the  following  Wednesday  afternoon  on 
the  steps  of  the  City  Hall.  There  had  just  been  a  public 
meeting  in  the  park,  called  to  approve  the  war  measure,  but 
it  had  been  very  scantily  attended;  and  as  the  noisy  crowd 
scattered,  mainly  up  and  down  Broadway,  he  hardly  knew 
whether  he  was  glad  or  sorry  for  the  failure.  The  uproari 
ous  conduct  of  the  youth  of  the  city  offended  him,  and  as  a 
general  thing  the  men  of  experience,  of  solid  wealth  and  politi 
cal  power,  had  not  answered  the  call  for  this  meeting.  For 
it  was  a  Democratic  call,  and  New  York  at  that  day  was  the 
very  stronghold  of  the  Federalists. 

He  stood  a  few  minutes  considering  which  streets  would 

32 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


likely  be  the  quietest  road  to  his  home,  and  seeing  Broadway 
full  of  marching  companies,  all  more  or  less  musical  and  vocif 
erous,  he  turned  into  Nassau  Street,  hoping  to  escape  the 
cheers  and  attentions  which  his  outspoken  sympathy  had 
brought  him.  For  some  distance  it  was  comparatively  quiet, 
but  between  Garden  and  Beaver  streets  he  saw  approaching 
what  appeared  to  be  a  full  company.  They  were  stepping 
proudly  to  the  music  of  "  The  President's  March,"  and  the 
narrow  street  appeared  to  Bloommaert's  eyes  to  be  full  of 
their  waving  flags. 

There  was  no  outlet  for  his  escape,  and  he  assumed  a  dig 
nity  of  bearing  and  a  self-centred  air  that  was  usually  both 
arms  and  armour  to  him.  He  hoped  to  pass  unnoticed,  but 
as  the  company  approached  it  halted  at  command.  His 
name  was  spoken.  He  lifted  his  eyes  perforce  and  up  flew 
every  hat  in  respectful  recognition.  What  could  he  do? 
Some  of  them  were  the  very  men  he  had  addressed  and 
aroused  to  enthusiasm  on  the  previous  Saturday.  His  noblest 
nature  came  to  the  front.  He  saluted  them  in  return,  wished 
them  "  God  speed,"  and  so  passed  on,  but  not  before  he  had 
noticed  the  happy,  triumphant  face  of  their  captain,  Leonard 
Murray. 

"  That  man  again !  "  he  muttered,  and  he  could  not  dis 
miss  "  that  man  "  from  his  memory  during  the  rest  of  the 
walk.  He  passed  his  mother's  house  but  did  not  enter  it,  for 
it  was  nearing  his  dinner  hour,  and  he  hoped  in  the  society  of 
his  wife  and  daughter  to  find  the  restful  equipoise  he  had  lost 

33 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


during  the  morning's  events.  As  he  mounted  the  steps  Sap- 
phira  threw  open  the  door.  Her  face  was  radiant.  She  was 
the  incarnation  of  pleasure. 

"  Father,"  she  cried,  "  I  am  so  glad  that  you  have  come 
home  early.  I  have  such  good  news.  Mother  and  I  have 
had  such  a  great  honour;  you  can't  tell  how  happy  we  both 
feel." 

Her  visible  joy  was  infectious,  and  Bloommaert  flung  his 
annoyance  out  of  memory.  "  Come,  now,"  he  said  cheer 
fully,  "  let  us  hear  the  good  news.  Who  brought  it  to 
you?" 

"  Well,  you  would  never  guess,  dear  father,  and  I  am 
going  to  let  mother  tell  you." 

They  entered  the  dining  room  as  she  spoke,  and  its  cool 
sweetness  was  like  a  breath  of  heaven.  Mrs.  Bloommaert 
rose  with  a  smile. 

"  Gerardus,  my  dear!"  she  exclaimed,  "you  are  earlier 
than  I  hoped.  That  is  good.  Now  we  shall  have  dinner." 

"  But  Carlita,  first  the  good  news  that  Sapphira  can  hardly 
keep  from  me." 

"  Has  she  not  told  you?  " 

"  No.     She  says  you  are  to  tell  me." 

"  Well,  then,  it  is  very  pleasant  to  her,  and  to  me.  Leon 
ard  Murray  came  here  this  morning  just  after  you  left.  He 
had  hoped  to  find  you  still  at  home  —  and  he  wanted  us  to 
select  the  uniform  for  his  company.  They  are  to  fight  under 
our  colours,  you  see!  He  had  many  patterns  of  cloth  with 

34 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


him,  and  we  chose  dark  blue  for  the  coats,  and  orange  for  the 
vest,  and  the  head  dress  is  to  be  dark  blue  cap  with  a  rosette 
and  streamers  of  red,  white,  and  blue!  The  tricolour,  my 
dear  one  —  that  was  for  my  nation,  and  the  blue  and  orange, 
that  was  for  yours.  Leonard  was  delighted.  He  is  going  to 
pay  for  the  uniforms  and  support  the  company  until  the  city 
puts  it  in  active  service.  Then  it  will  fight  under  our 
colours.  Was  it  not  kind  and  respectful  of  Leonard?  " 

"It  was  a  piece  of  damned  impertinence.  I  never  heard 
of  such  impudence  !  " 

"Father!" 

"  Gerardus,  I  am  astonished  at  you!  " 

"The  insolent  puppy!  What  right  had  he?  How  dare 
he?" 

"  Mr.  Justice,  he  only  did  what  every  young  man  of  stand 
ing  has  done:  the  Clarksons,  the  Fairlies,  the  Westervelts, 
the  Moores  —  every  family  of  consideration  has  given  its 
colours  to  some  company  or  other.  It  is  an  honour,  Mr. 
Justice,  a  great  honour,  and  we  are  very  proud  of  it.  I  told 
Leonard  so." 

"  Leonard,  indeed  !  It  seems  that  you  are  already  very 
familiar." 

"Already!  It  is  a  long  already.  I  have  known  the  boy 
from  the  hour  of  his  birth.  His  mother  was  my  friend  when 
we  were  both  little  girls.  I  was  with  his  mother  when  she 
died.  I  promised  her  to  be  kind  to  Leonard  whenever  I  had 
opportunity  —  the  opportunity  came  this  morning  —  I  thought 

35 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


you  would  be  pleased  —  and  proud  —  but  then,  one  never 
knows  a  man's  real  feelings  —  never!  After  last  Saturday, 
too  —  it  is  inconceivable."  Mrs.  Eloommaert  rose,  and  as 
her  daughter  followed  her  the  judge  was  left  alone  with 
whatever  answer  he  intended  to  make. 

Generally,  when  an  antagonist  withdraws,  the  party  left  in 
possession  of  the  ground  feels  a  sense  of  victory.  He  tosses 
his  head  a  little  and  triumphs  in  the  fashion  that  best  suits 
him.  But  Judge  Bloomaert,  standing  with  his  doubled-up 
hand  on  his  dining  table,  had  a  sinking  sense  of  defeat.  His 
large,  dignified  personality  succumbed  as  the  two  slender  slips 
of  womanhood  passed  him  —  Carlita's  haughty  little  head  ex 
pressing  a  disdainful  disapproval,  and  Sapphira  giving  him  a 
look  from  eyes  full  of  reproachful  astonishment. 

A  natural  instinct  led  him  to  sit  down  in  order  to  con 
sider  his  ways.  "  What  the  deuce!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Con 
found  the  fellow!  What  does  it  all  mean  ?"  Then  his  logi 
cal  mind  began  to  reflect,  to  deliberate,  to  weigh  his  own 
case  as  relentlessly  as  if  it  was  the  case  of  a  stranger.  The 
result  was  a  decision  in  favour  of  his  wife's  and  his  daughter's 
position.  From  their  standpoint  he  had  been  unreasonable 
and  inconsistent.  And  he  could  put  in  no  demurrer;  for 
the  only  objection  he  was  able  to  make  lay  in  that  covert  dis 
like  to  the  young  man  for  which  he  was  unable  to  give  any 
reason  that  would  not  be  more  humiliating  than  simple  sub 
mission. 

He  had  reached  this  point  when  a  negro  slave,  dressed  from 

36 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 

000<=:^^>'00«=^^>00<S^^-0()0<£^^000<^^>C(>0<=^>00(><^^^>000<^^^OI)O^^S>OOOc£^^>eO^^^>«Oc£^>099 

head  to  foot  in  spotless  white  linen,  entered  the  room.  He 
was  carrying  a  platter  containing  a  sirloin  of  roast  beef,  and 
the  appetising  odour,  blended  with  the  fragrance  of  the  fresh 
peas, — boiled  with  the  sprig  of  mint  they  call  for, — stimu 
lated  the  judge  to  the  necessary  action.  He  rose  promptly  and 
went  to  the  sitting  room  in  the  rear.  At  the  door  he  heard 
Sapphira  and  her  mother  talking,  but  they  were  instantly 
silent  as  he  entered.  That  was  a  symptom  he  did  not  regard. 
He  knew  the  tactics  that  were  always  successful,  and  with  a 
smile  and  a  courtly  bow  he  offered  his  arm  to  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert.  The  courtesy  was  made  invincible  by  the  glance  that 
accompanied  it — a  glance  that  was  explanation,  apology,  and 
admiration  sent  swiftly  and  indisputably  to  her  heart. 
Words  would  have  been  halting  and  impotent  in  comparison, 
and  they  were  ignored.  The  only  ones  spoken  referred  to  the 
waiting  meal.  "  Dinner  is  served,  Carlita,"  and  Carlita,  with 
an  answering  glance  of  pardon  and  affection,  proudly  took 
the  arm  offered  her.  Ere  they  reached  the  door  Sapphira 
was  remembered,  and  her  father  stretched  backward  his  hand 
for  her  clasp.  Thus  they  entered  the  dining  room  together, 
and  almost  at  the  same  moment  they  were  joined  by  Chris 
topher. 

He  was  hot  and  sunburned  but  full  of  quiet  satisfaction. 
He  laid  his  arm  across  his  mother's  neck  as  he  passed  her,  and 
taking  a  seat  next  to  his  sister  clasped  her  little  hand  lov 
ingly  under  the  table. 

With  beaming  eyes  she  acknowledged  this  token  of  his 

37 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


affection,  and  then  touching  a  piece  of  pale  blue  ribbon  tied 
through  a  buttonhole  of  his  jacket,  she  asked: 

"  Pray,  Chris,  who  is  now  your  patron  saint?  Last  year 
it  was  good  St.  Nicholas,  and  orange  was  all  your  cry.  Why 
have  you  forsaken  your  old  patron  and  changed  your  col 
ours?" 

Chris  laughed  a  little.  "  I  was  caught  unaware,  Sap- 
phira,"  he  answered.  "As  I  came  up  Cedar  Street  I  saw 
Mary  Selwyn  cutting  roses  in  Mr.  Webster's  garden.  She 
had  a  rose  at  her  throat,  and  a  rose  in  her  hair,  and  a  basket 
of  roses  in  her  hand,  and  she  was  as  sweet  and  as  pretty  as 
any  rose  that  ever  bloomed  in  all  New  York.  And  she  said 
'  Good-morning,  Captain  Bloommaert  ;  I  hear  you  are  soon 
for  the  ocean,  and  the  enemy,  and  God  be  with  you  !  '  And  I 
said,  '  So  soon  now,  Miss  Selwyn,  that  this  must  be  our  good 
bye,  I  think.'  Then  she  lifted  her  scissors  and  cut  from  the 
ribbon  round  her  neck  the  piece  I  am  wearing.  '  It  is  the 
full  half,'  she  said,  '  and  I  will  keep  the  other  half  till  you 
come  home  again  happy  and  glorious.'  " 

"  Well,  then,  it  is  your  luck  ribbon,  Chris,  and  you  must 
not  change  it,"  said  Sapphira. 

"  In  a  very  few  minutes  I  was  under  great  temptation  to 
do  so,  Sapphira.  I  thought  I  would  call  on  grandmother, 
but  as  I  got  near  to  her  house  I  saw  Walter  Havens  just 
leaving  the  gate.  He  was  walking  very  proudly,  and  a 
flutter  of  red  ribbon  was  on  his  head,  and  the  next  step 
showed  me  a  flutter  of  white  skirts  behind  the  vines  on  the 

38 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


veranda.  So  I  knew  cousin  Annette  had  been  setting  him 
up  till  he  felt  as  if  he  had  twenty  hearts  instead  of  only 
one." 

"  Did  you  speak  to  Annette  after  that  observation  ?  "  asked 
his  father. 

"  Why  yes,  sir.  She  saw  me  at  once,  and  came  running 
to  open  the  gate.  She  had  all  her  airs  and  graces  about  her 
and  looked  as  radiant  as  the  red  ribbons  she  wore.  She  saw 
my  blue  ribbon  immediately,  and  said  scornfully,  '  Pray  now, 
whose  favour  is  that  affair  tied  in  your  buttonhole?  It  is  a 
poor  thing,  Chris!  Shall  I  not  give  you  an  inch  or  two  of 
my  solitaire?  '  and  she  lifted  the  housewife  at  her  belt,  and 
would  have  taken  out  her  scissors.  But  I  said,  '  No,  no, 
Miss  de  Vries,  I'm  not  taking  shares  with  Walter  Havens. 
I'll  just  hold  on  to  my  '  poor  thing.'  I  wonder  how  many 
rose  ribbons  you  have  given  away  this  morning  ?  '  ' 

"  Did  she  tell  you  how  many,  Chris?  "  asked  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert. 

"  She  looked  as  if  she  might  have  given  a  hundred,  but  she 
kept  her  secret  —  you  may  trust  Annette  to  keep  anything  that 
belongs  to  her  —  even  her  secrets  ;  and  most  women  give  them 
away.  Annette  de  Vries  knows  better." 

"What  did  grandmother  say?"  asked  Sapphira. 

"  I  did  not  see  her.  She  was  in  her  room,  asleep,  Annette 
said.  They  are  coming  here  this  evening  —  with  the  Clarks, 
and  perhaps  others.  You  won't  mind,  mother,  will  you?" 

"  Indeed  I  shall  be  glad,  if  you  wish  it,  Chris."     For  her 

39 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


heart  had  comprehended  that  his  "  good-bye  "  to  Miss  Selwyn 
meant  that  he  was  ready  for  sea.  And  it  was  Christopher's 
habit  to  slip  away  on  some  night,  or  early  morning  tide,  when 
there  was  no  one  around  to  embarrass  his  orders.  For  he 
was  not  a  man  that  either  liked  or  needed  the  approbation 
and  sympathies  of  others;  as  a  rule,  Christopher  Bioom- 
maert's  approval  was  sufficient  for  him. 

He  was  evidently  full  of  business,  and  went  away  as  soon 
as  he  had  finished  his  dinner.  The  judge  went  with  him,  and 
Mrs.  Bloomaert  and  her  daughter,  left  alone,  began  instantly 
to  discuss  the  subject  of  Christopher's  departure. 

"  It  is  his  way,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  "  The  little 
party  this  evening  is  his  farewell.  We  must  make  it  as  pleas 
ant  as  possible.  Your  grandmother  and  Annette  will  be 
here,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"And  the  Clarks  —  Elsie  and  Sally,  and  Joe  and  Jack  — 
and  I  suppose  Leonard  Murray  will  come  with  them,"  an 
swered  Sapphira. 

"  I  should  not  wonder  if  Chris  asked  Miss  Selwyn  also." 

"  Very  likely.  She  is  a  nice  girl.  I  hope  Chris  did  ask 
her.  No  one  can  help  loving  Mary  Selwyn." 

"What  shall  we  do?  What  would  Chris  like  best?  You 
know,  Sapphira,  if  any  one  knows." 

"  Let  us  have  tea  at  six  o'clock,  then  we  can  all  go  to  the 
Battery  to  hear  the  music.  There  is  a  young  moon,  and  it  is 
warm  enough  to  make  the  sea  breezes  welcome.  Moffat's 
Military  Band  is  to  play  from  the  portico  of  the  flagstaff  to- 

40 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


night,  and  we  can  have  ices  and  cakes  and  wine  served  to  us 
in  the  enclosure  if  we  want  them." 

"  You  had  better  return  home  about  nine  o'clock,  and  I 
will  have  refreshments  here  ready  for  you.  The  large  parlour 
can  be  somewhat  cleared,  Bose  will  bring  his  violin,  and  you 
might  have  a  little  dance.  I  don't  believe  father  will  mind. 
He  knows  Chris  is  ready  to  sail.  I  could  see  that." 

"  Oh,  mother!    Oh,  dear  mother,  how  good  you  are!  " 

The  perparations  for  this  rather  impromptu  gathering  gave 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  very  little  trouble.  Her  servants  were 
slaves,  born  in  her  own  household,  and  whose  share  in  all  the 
family  joy  was  certain  and  admitted.  They  entered  heartily 
into  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  in  a  short  time  the  house 
had  put  on  that  air  of  festal  confusion  which  the  prospect  of 
feasting  and  dancing  entails. 

Before  six  the  guests  began  to  arrive,  and  the  eight  or  ten 
which  Christopher's  speech  had  suggested  speedily  became 
twenty.  It  appeared  as  if  the  young  man  had  casually  in 
vited  all  of  his  acquaintances.  But  Mrs.  Bloommaert  made 
every  one  welcome,  and  the  slight  difficulty  in  seating  them — 
the  little  crush  and  crowding — really  induced  a  very  spon 
taneous  and  unconstrained  happiness.  Then  there  was  trou 
ble  in  serving  all  rapidly  enough,  so  Christopher,  and  Joe 
Westervelt  and  Willis  Clark  volunteered  their  services,  and 
to  these  three  Mrs.  Bloommaert  herself  added  Leonard  Mur 
ray,  whom  she  appointed  her  special  aid;  and  thus  the  tea 
became  a  kind  of  parlour  picnic.  The  windows  were  all 

41 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


open,  the  white  curtains  swaying  gently  in  the  breeze,  and  the 
scent  of  roses  everywhere  mingled  with  the  delightful  aromas 
of  fine  tea,  and  spiced  bread,  and  fresh,  ripe  strawberries. 
Merry  talk  and  happy  laughter  thrilled  the  warm  air,  and  it 
was  a  joy  in  itself  to  watch  so  many  bright,  young  faces,  all 
keenly  responsive  to  the  pleasure  of  each  other's  presence. 

Before  seven  o'clock  they  were  ready  for  their  walk  on  the 
Battery,  and  came  trooping  down  the  wide  stairway,  a  bril 
liant  company  of  lovely  girls  in  their  spencers  of  various 
coloured  silks,  and  their  pink  or  white  frocks,  their  gipsy 
straw  bonnets,  and  their  low  walking  shoes  fastened  with 
silver  or  paste  latchets.  In  twos  and  threes  they  sauntered 
along  the  lovely  walk,  and  as  the  young  moon  rose,  the  band 
played  sweetly  from  a  boat  on  the  water,  and  the  waves  broke 
gently  against  the  wall  of  the  embankment,  their  laughter  and 
merry  talk  became  lower  and  quieter.  They  rested  on  the 
benches,  and  made  little  confidences,  and  were  very  happy, 
though  their  joy  was  lulled  and  hushed,  as  if  for  this  rare 
hour  some  friendly  spirit  had  pressed  gently  down  the  soft 
pedal  on  life,  and  thus  made  its  felicity  more  enchanting  and 
more  personal. 

But  if  they  forget  the  dance,  their  little  feet  had  memories ; 
they  began  to  twitch  and  slip  in  and  out,  and  grow  restless ; 
and  Sapphira  remembered  the  hour,  though  Leonard  was 
charming,  and  the  tale  he  was  telling  her,  wonderful.  "  But 
then,"  she  said,  "  mother  is  expecting  us,  and  those  at  home 
must  not  be  disappointed;  for  if  there  is  anything  grand- 

42 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


mother  likes,  it  is  to  watch  the  dance."  So  they  went  back 
to  the  Bloommaert  house  and  found  all  ready  and  waiting 
for  the  cotillion.  Upstairs  with  fleetest  steps  went  the  merry 
maidens,  returning  in  less  than  ten  minutes  without  their 
spencers,  and  with  feet  shod  in  satin  sandals.  The  fiddles 
were  twanging,  and  the  prompter  already  advising  gentlemen 
to  choose  their  partners.  Then  the  room  became  a  living 
joy.  The  hearts  of  all  beat  with  the  twinkling  steps  of  the 
dancers,  and  every  one  seized  a  measure  of  fleeting  bliss,  and 
for  a  breathing  space  in  life  forgot  that  they  would  ever  grow 
weary  or  ever  have  to  part. 

Madame  sat  in  her  son's  chair,  flushed  and  smiling,  her 
eyes  wandering  between  her  granddaughters.  They  were  cer 
tainly  the  most  beautiful  women  in  the  room,  and  when  the 
judge  came  quietly  to  her  side  about  ten  o'clock  she  said  to 
him:  "  Look  once  at  Annette;  at  her  feet  are  half  the  men; 
and  as  for  Sapphira,  I  know  not  what  to  make  of  her  —  all  of 
the  men  are  her  lovers,  but  some  one  was  telling  me  it  is 
Leonard  Murray  only  that  pleases  her.  I  take  leave  to  say 
they  are  a  handsome  couple,  Gerardus." 

Involuntarily  he  followed  his  mother's  direction,  and  was 
forced  to  admit  the  truth  of  her  remark.  But  it  gave  him  an 
angry  pain  to  do  so,  while  the  young  man's  expression  of 
rapturous  satisfaction  provoked  him  beyond  words.  He  had 
Sapphira's  hand,  they  were  treading  a  measure  —  not  so  much 
to  the  music  of  the  violins  as  to  the  music  in  their  own  hearts. 
They  had  forgotten  the  limitations  of  life,  they  were  in  some 

43 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


rarer  and  diviner  atmosphere.  Step  to  step,  with  clasped 
hands,  and  eyes  beaming  into  each  other's  face,  they  glided 
past  him  as  if  they  were  immortals  moving  ti  spheral  music. 
But  beautiful  as  this  vision  of  primal  joy  was,  it  roused  no 
response  in  Judge  Bloommaert's  heart,  and  after  a  few  words 
with  madame  he  slipped  away  to  the  quiet  of  his  room.  He 
was  wakeful  and  restless,  and  he  lifted  the  papers  in  a  case 
which  had  some  personal  interest  for  him,  and  soon  became 
absorbed  in  their  details.  Yet  he  was  aware  of  that  inevit 
able  decrease  of  mirth  which  follows  its  climax,  and  not  ill- 
pleased  to  hear  the  breaking  up  of  the  gathering.  The  chat 
tering  of  the  girls  resuming  their  spencers  and  walking  shoes 
made  him  lay  down  his  papers  and  go  to  the  open  window,  and 
so  he  watched  the  dissolution  of  happiness  ;  for  the  company 
parted,  even  at  his  own  door,  into  small  groups,  some  merely 
crossing  to  the  other  side  of  the  Green,  others  going  to  Wall, 
State,  Cedar,  and  Nassau  streets.  The  later  party  seemed 
the  larger  contingent,  and  he  heard  the  men  of  it,  as  they 
passed  northward,  begin  to  sing,  "  We  be  Three  Poor  Mar 
iners."  Christopher's  voice  rang  out  musically  cheerful, 
and  the  father's  heart  swelled  with  love  and  pride,  as  he  said 
tenderly,  "  God  bless  the  boy."  The  prayer  was  an  exorcism  ; 
anger  and  all  evil  fled  at  the  words  of  blessing,  so  that  when 
Mrs.  Bloommaert,  flushed  and  weary,  came  to  him  he  was 
able  to  meet  her  with  the  sympathy  she  needed. 

•  * 

"  Gerardus,  my  dear  one,"  she  said,  "  Chris  bade  me  good 
bye;  I  am  sure  of  it.     He  laid  his  cheek  against  mine  and 

44 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


whispered,  'A  short  farewell,  mother!'  and  all  I  could  say 
was  '  God  bless  you,  Chris  !'  " 

"  It  was  enough." 

"When  does  he  sail?" 

"  About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He  will  go  out  on 
the  tide-top,  then." 

"  Where  is  he  going  ?  " 

"  To  the  Connecticut  coast  first,  for  supplies  ;  easier  got 
there  than  here;  afterwards  he  goes  nobody  knows  where, 
but  as  the  Domine  said  last  Sunday,  he  can't  go  where  God  is 
not." 

"  In  that  I  trust.  Did  you  notice  the  blue  ribbon  in  his 
jacket  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  noticed." 

"  He  seemed  very  fond  of  Mary  to-night.  I  could  not 
help  seeing  his  devotion.  Mother  noticed  it,  also." 

"  What  did  mother  say?  " 

"  She  said  Mary  was  a  good  girl,  of  good  stock,  but  she  had 
not  a  dollar.  I  said,  '  love  was  everything  in  marriage,  and 
that  money  did  not  much.  matter.'  " 

"  Hum  —  m  —  !     It  does  no  harm." 

Then  there  was  a  short  silence;  madame  was  removing 
her  lace«cap  and  collar,  and  the  judge  putting  away  his  papers. 
Both  were  thinking  of  the  same  thing,  and  neither  of  them 
cared  to  introduce  the  subject.  But  the  judge's  patience  was 
the  better  trained,  and  he  calmly  waited  for  the  question  he 
was  sure  would  not  be  long  delayed. 

45 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

t$0*^^Q3<^g>3a«^g-^Mfl«??g^><io<)<g^^QOO«^^'^fiCO<^^ 

She  rose  as  she  asked  it,  went  to  her  dressing  table,  and 
began  to  open  her  jewel  box.  "  Did  you  notice  Sapphira  and 
Leonard  Murray  dancing?  I  thought  I  saw  you  watching 
them." 

"Yes,  I  saw  them,  and  to  tell  you  just  what  I  thought  of 
the  exhibition  would  only  pain  you,  Carlita.  Don't  ask  me." 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  why  I  am  not  to  ask  you ;  every 
one  was  charmed  with  their  grace.  Even  the  elegant  Mr. 
Washington  Irving  said  their  movements  were  '  the  poetry 
of  motion.'  I  thought  it  a  very  fine  remark." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  Mr.  Washington  Irving  knows  all  about 
the  poetry  of  motion.  But  if  you  will  believe  me,  Carlita, 
there  are  some  Dutchman  in  New  York  who  do  not  worship 
Mr.  Washington  Irving." 

Then  there  was  another  silence,  and  this  time  the  judge 
broke  it.  "  Carlita,"  he  said,  "  what  are  you  going  all 
around  the  square  to  ask  me?  Speak  out,  wife." 

"  Well,  Gerardus,  any  one  can  see  that  Leonard  Murray  is 
in  love  with  Sapphira,  and  that  Sapphira  is  not  indifferent  to 
him.  I  want  to  ask  you  if  this  marriage  would  be  suitable, 
because  if  you  are  against  it,  their  intimacy  ought  to  be 
checked  at  once." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  check  it?  Tell  me  that.  We 
cannot  shut  her  up  in  her  room  and  set  a  watch  over  her,  nor 
can  we  pack  her  off  to  Hong  Kong  or  Timbuctoo — out  of 
his  way." 

"  Then  you  are  against  it  ?  " 

46 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 

»M  «=»«0-«=>M«<^=!>«CO'«5»H«««5»«»»«!=5»0««<=5>««0«=»«t  «s=s>  !>«<=>  MO 

"  Yes." 

"But  what  for?" 

"  I  am  not  ready  to  give  you  my  reasons." 

"  I  cannot  imagine  what  they  may  be.  Leonard  is 
rich." 

"  Very.  Colonel  Rutgers  told  me  his  estate  in  land  and 
houses  and  ready  cash  might  be  worth  seven  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars.  But,  as  you  reminded  me  in  regard  to  Mary 
Selwyn,  money  in  matrimony  does  not  much  matter." 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  as  important  as  love ;  though,  as  you 
said,  money  does  no  harm  to  matrimony.  But  it  is  not  only 
money,  with  Leonard.  He  is  of  good  family." 

"  His  great-grandfather  was  a  Highland  Scot,  and  James 
Murray,  his  father,  cared  for  nothing  but  money.  It  was  a 
bit  of  land  here,  and  a  dollar  or  two  there — a  hard  man, 
both  to  friend  and  foe.  I  never  liked  him.  We  came 
to  words  often,  and  to  blows  once — that  was  about  you, 
Carlita." 

"  You  had  no  need  to  quarrel  about  me.  From  the  first  to 
last  it  has  been  you,  Gerardus ;  you,  and  only  you." 

"  Yet  after  we  were  engaged,  James  Murray  asked  you  to 
marry  him.  No  honourable  man  would  have  done  such  a 
thing." 

"  Have  you  not  forgotten  ?  The  man  is  dead.  Let  his 
faults  be  left  in  silence." 

"  I  do  not  like  to  see  you  so  partial  to  his  son." 

"  The  son  is  his  mother's  son.     He  has  qualities  the  very 

47 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


opposite  of  his  father's.  James  Murray  was  a  bigot  and  a 
miser.  Leonard  has  the  broadest  and  most  tolerant  views." 

"  There,  you  have  said  plenty.  If  there  is  any  man  not 
to  be  trusted,  it  is  this  broad,  tolerant  fellow.  You  remem 
ber  Herman  Strauss?  He  is  that  kind  of  character,  brought 
up  in  the  Middle  Dutch  Church,  he  married  an  Episcopalian, 
and  without  difficulty  —  being  so  broad  —  he  went  with  her  to 
Trinity.  He  praised  the  Democrats  —  Clintonian  and  Madi- 
sonian  both  —  and  yet  he  called  himself  a  Federalist  —  thought 
that  both  were  right  in  some  ways.  But  like  all  men  of  this 
uncertain  calibre,  he  had  one  or  two  trifling  opinions,  of  no 
consequence  whatever,  either  to  himself  or  others,  for  whose 
sake  he  would  lose  money  and  friends,  and  even  risk  his  life. 
It  was  only  a  question  as  to  the  brand  of  wine  Mr.  Jefferson 
drank,  that  made  him  insult  Colonel  Wilde,  and  in  conse 
quence  fight  a  duel  which  has  left  him  a  cripple  for  life.  So 
much  for  your  man  of  wide  sympathies  and  broad  views!  I 
like  a  man  who  has  positive  opinions  and  sticks  to  them.  Yes, 
sticks  to  them,  right  or  wrong!  A  man  who  sticks  to  his 
opinions  will  stick  to  his  friends  and  his  family.  Good  in 
everything!  Good  in  every  one!  Nonsense!  Such  ideas 
lead  to  nowhere,  and  to  nothing.  The  man  that  holds  them 
I  do  not  want  to  marry  my  daughter." 

"  Mrs.  Clark  says  Leonard's  moral  character  is  beau 
tiful." 

"  Mrs.  Clark  has  known  him  about  four  days.  And  pray, 
what  does  Mrs.  Clark,  or  you,  or  any  other  woman  know 

48 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


about  a  man's  moral  character?  Leonard  Murray's  ances 
tors  have  been  for  centuries  restless,  quarrelsome,  fighting 
Highlandmen.  He  is  not  twenty-two  yet,  and  he  has  been 
as  far  west  and  south  as  he  could  get,  and  only  came  home 
because  there  was  likely  to  be  some  fighting  on  hand." 

"  But  then,  Gerardus  —  what  have  you  behind  you?  " 

"  Centuries  full  of  God-fearing  Dutchmen  —  honest  traders 
and  peaceable  burghers  and  scholarly  domines." 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  Beggars  of  the  Sea,  and  men  who  fought 
with  De  Ruyter  and  Tromp,  and  wandered  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth  with  Van  Heemskirk  for  adventures,  and  came  with 
the  Englishman,  Henry  Hudson,  here  itself,  and  did  a  little 
good  business  with  the  poor  Indians.  And  Gerardus,  look  at 
your  own  sons  —  Christopher  is  never  at  home  but  when  he 
is  at  sea.  He  is  happier  in  a  ship  than  a  house,  and  also  he 
likes  the  ship  to  carry  cutlasses  and  cannon.  As  for  Peter, 
you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  if  he  were  not  building  ships  he 
would  be  sailing  them.  He  loves  a  ship  better  than  a  wife. 
He  knows  all  about  every  ship  he  ever  built  —  her  length  and 
breadth  and  speed,  how  much  sail  she  can  carry,  how  many 
men  she  requires  to  manage  her,  and  he  calls  them  by  their 
names  as  if  they  were  flesh  and  blood.  Does  Peter  ever  go  to 
see  a  woman  ?  No  ;  he  goes  to  see  some  ship  or  other.  Now 
then,  what  influence  have  your  honest  traders  and  peaceable 
burghers  had  on  your  sons?  " 

"  My  dear  Carlita,  don't  you  see  you  are  running  away 
with  yourself?  You  are  preaching  for  my  side,  instead  of 

49 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


your  own.  Chris  and  Peter  are  results,  so  is  Leonard  Mur 
ray.  You  can't  put  nature  to  the  door,  Carlita.  Nature  is 
more  than  nurture;  all  that  our  home  and  education  and 
trading  surroundings  could  do  for  boys,  was  done  for  Peter 
and  Chris;  but  nature  was  ahead  of  us  —  she  had  put  into 
tKem  the  wandering  salt  drops  of  adventure  that  stirred  '  The 
Beggars,'  and  Tromp,  and  Van  Heemskirk.  I  tell  you  truly, 
Carlita,  that  the  breed  is  more  than  the  pasture.  As  you 
know,  the  cuckoo  lays  her  eggs  in  any  bird's  nest;  it  may  be 
hatched  among  blackbirds  or  robins  or  thrushes,  but  it  is 
always  a  cuckoo.  And  so  we  came  back  to  my  first  position, 
that  a  man  cannot  deliver  himself  from  his  ancestors." 

"  I  do  not  care,  Gerardus,  about  ancestors  ;  I  look  at  Leon 
ard  just  as  he  is  to-day.  And  I  wish  you  would  tell  me 
plainly  what  to  do.  Or  will  you,  yourself,  let  Leonard  know 
your  mind  on  this  subject?  Perhaps  that  would  be  best." 

"  How  can  I  speak  to  him?  Can  I  refuse  Sapphira  until 
he  asks  for  her  ?  Can  I  go  to  him  and  say,  '  Sir,  I  see  that  you 
admire  my  daughter,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  let  you  marry 
her.'  That  would  be  offering  Sapphira  and  myself  for  insult, 
and  I  could  not  complain  if  I  got  what  I  asked  for." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do,  seeing  that  you  object  so 
strongly  to  Leonard  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  can  tell  Sapphira  how  much  I  feel  about  such  an 
alliance;  you  can  show  her  the  path  of  obedience  and  duty; 
and  I  expect  you  to  do  this  much.  I  did  not  like  mother's 
attitude  about  him  at  all,  and  I  shall  speak  to  her  myself. 

50 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


Sapphira  must  be  made  to  feel  that  Leonard  Murray  is  im 
possible." 

"  Well,  Gerardus,  I  will  speak  to  the  poor  little  one.  Oh, 
I  am  so  sorry  for  her — she  will  feel  it  every  way  so  much; 
but  some  fathers  don't  care,  even  if  they  turn  a  wedding  into 
a  funeral." 

"  Such  words  are  not  right,  nor  even  true.  I  care  for 
Sapphira's  welfare  above  everything." 

"  Speak  to  mother ;  I  wish  you  would.  She  will  not  refuse 
Leonard  if  he  asks  her  for  Annette.  And  Annette  is  already 
in  love  with  him,  I  am  not  deceived  in  that.  She  was  white 
with  envy  and  jealously  to-night." 

"  Is  Annette  in  it?" 

"  Yes,  and  very  much  so,  I  think." 

"  Then  I  give  up  the  case.  No  man  can  rule  right  against 
three  or  four  women.  I  am  going  to  sleep  now,  and  I  hope 
it  may  be  a  long  time  before  I  hear  Leonard  Murray's  name 
again." 

His  hope  had  but  a  short  existence.  When  he  entered  the 
breakfast  room  the  following  morning,  the  first  thing  he  saw 
was  Sapphira  bending  over  a  basket  of  green  rushes,  running 
over  with  white  rosebuds.  She  turned  to  him  a  face  full  of 
delight. 

"  See,  father,"  she  cried.  "Are  they  not  lovely?  Are 
they  not  sweet  ?  If  you  kiss  me,  you  will  get  their  dew  upon 
my  lips." 

He  bent  his  head  down  to  the  fragrant  flowers,   and 

51 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


then  asked :  "  Where  did  you  get  them  so  early  in  the 
morning?  " 

"  Leonard  Murray  sent  them.  Let  me  pin  this  bud  on 
the  lapel  of  your  coat." 

"  No,"  he  said  bitterly,  pushing  the  white  hand  and  the 
white  flower  away.  "  Go  to  your  room,  and  take  the  flowers 
with  you.  I  will  not  have  them  in  any  place  where  I  can  see 
them."  Then  a  negro  boy  entering,  he  turned  to  him,  and 
ordered  his  breakfast  in  a  tone  and  manner  that  admitted  of 
no  delay  nor  dispute. 

Sapphira  had  lifted  her  basket,  but  as  soon  as  they  were 
alone  she  asked :  "  Did  you  mean  those  unkind  words, 
father?" 

"  Every  one  of  them."  He  shuffled  his  coffee  cup,  let  the 
sugar  tongs  fall,  and  then  rang  the  bell  in  a  passion.  Yet  he 
did  not  escape  the  pathetic  look  of  astonished  and  wounded 
love  in  Sapphira's  eyes  as  she  left  the  room,  with  the  basket  of 
rosebuds  clasped  to  her  breast. 

All  day  this  vision  haunted  him.  He  wished  to  go  home 
long  before  the  usual  hour,  but  that  would  have  been  a  kind 
of  submission.  He  said  he  had  a  headache,  but  it  was  really 
a  heartache  that  distressed  him,  and  during  a  large  part  of  the 
day  he  was  debating  within  himself  how  such  an  unhappy 
position  had  managed  to  subjugate  him  in  so  short  a  period 
of  time.  For,  if  any  one  a  week  previously  had  told  him  he 
could  be  controlled  in  all  his  tenderest  feelings  by  a  dislike 
apparently  so  unreasonable,  he  would  have  scoffed  the  idea 

52 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


away.  He  said  frequently  to  himself  the  word  "  unreason 
able,"  for  that  was  the  troublesome,  exasperating  sting  of  the 
temptation.  The  young  man  himself  had  done  nothing  that 
any  fair  or  rational  person  would  consider  offensive  —  quite 
the  contrary;  and  yet  he  was  conscious  of  an  antagonism 
that  was  something  more  than  mere  dislike  —  something,  in 
deed,  that  might  easily  become  hatred. 

He  had  just  admitted  the  word  "  hatred  "  to  his  conscious 
ness  as  he  reached  the  entrance  of  the  Government  House. 
The  day  had  at  last  worn  itself  away,  wearily  enough,  to  the 
dinner  hour.  He  might  now  go  home  and  face  whatever 
trouble  he  had  evoked. 

"  Good-afternoon,  Mr.  Justice." 

He  turned,  and  the  light  of  a  sudden  idea  flashed  into  his 
face,  when  he  saw  the  man  who  had  accosted  him. 

"  Good-afternoon  to  you,  Mr.  Attorney  Willis.  I  am 
just  thinking  about  that  case  you  defended  a  few  days 
ago  —  the  case  of  the  man  Gavazzio.  A  strange  one, 
rather." 

"A  very  strange  case.  He  stabbed  a  man  for  no  reason 
whatever;  simply  said  he  hated  him,  and  seemed  to  think 
that  feeling  justification  enough." 

"  See  the  Italian  consul  about  him.  I  do  not  think  he  had 
broken  any  Italian  law  —  that  is,  there  are  unwritten  laws 
among  these  people,  of  a  force  quite  as  strong  as  the  written 
code.  We  must  take  that  fact  into  consideration  with  the 
sentence.  The  stabbed  man  is  recovering,  I  hear  ?  " 

53 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Oh,  yes;  I  will  see  the  consul,  as  you  desire  it.  Gavaz- 
zio  most  certainly  thought  we  were  interfering  in  his  private 
affairs  by  arresting  him." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it.  Well,  Mr.  Attorney,  the  law  is 
supreme,  but  we  must  not  forget  that  the  essence  of  the  law 
is  justice.  Good-day,  sir." 

This  incident,  so  spontaneous  and  so  unconsidered,  gave 
him  a  sense  of  satisfaction;  he  felt  better  for  it,  though  he  did 
not  ask  himself  why,  nor  wherefore,  in  the  matter.  As  he 
approached  his  home  he  saw  Sapphira  sitting  at  the  window, 
her  head  bent  over  the  work  she  was  doing.  She  heard  her 
father's  step,  she  knew  he  was  watching  her,  but  she  did  not 
life  her  eyes,  or  give  him  the  smile  he  expected.  And  when 
he  entered  the  room  she  preserved  the  same  attitude.  He  lifted 
a  newspaper  and  began  to  read  it  ;  the  servants  brought  in  the 
dinner,  and  Mrs.  Bloommaert  also  came  and  took  her  place  at 
the  table.  She  was  not  the  usual  Carlita  at  all,  and  the 
judge  had  a  very  depressing  meal.  As  for  Sapphira,  she  did 
not  speak,  unless  in  answer  to  some  direct  question  regarding 
her  food.  She  was  pale  and  wretched-looking,  and  her  eyes 
were  red  with  weeping. 

The  judge  ate  his  roast  duck,  and  glanced  at  the  two 
patient,  silent,  provoking  women.  They  were  making  him 
miserable,  and  spoiling  his  food,  —  and  he  liked  roast  duck,  — 
yet  he  did  not  know  how  to  accuse  them.  Apparently  they 
were  perfectly  innocent  women,  but  unseen  by  mortal  eyes 
they  had  the  husband  and  father's  heart  in  their  little  white 

54 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


hands,  and  were  cruelly  wounding  it.  When  dinner  was  over 
Sapphira  lifted  her  work  and  went  to  her  room,  and  Mrs. 
Bloommaert,  instead  of  sitting  down  for  her  usual  chat  with 
her  husband  while  he  smoked  his  pipe,  walked  restlessly 
about,  putting  silver  and  crystal  away,  and  making  a  great 
pretence  of  being  exceedingly  interested  in  her  investigations. 
He  watched  her  silently  until  she  was  about  to  leave  the 
room,  then  he  said  a  little  peremptorily,  "  Carlita,  where  are 
you  going?  What,  by  heaven  and  earth,  is  the  matter  with 
you!" 

"  You  know  what  is  the  matter,  Gerardus." 

"  I  suppose  the  trouble  is  —  Leonard  Murray  again.  Con 
found  the  man  !  " 

"  Mr.  Justice,  you  will  please  remember  I  am  present.  I 
think  you  behaved  very  unkindly  to  Sapphira  this  morning  — 
and  the  poor  little  one  has  had  such  an  unhappy  day!  my 
heart  bleeds  for  her." 

"  Well,  Carlita,  I  was  too  harsh,  I  will  admit  that  ;  but  I 
cannot  tell  Sapphira  that  I  was  wrong.  It  was  all  said  and 
done  in  a  moment  —  the  sight  of  the  flowers,  and  her  joy  in 
them  -  " 

"  I  know,  Gerardus.  I  must  confess  to  the  same  temper. 
When  I  came  downstairs,  and  found  you  had  gone  without 
your  proper  breakfast,  and  that  you  had  neither  come  upstairs 
to  bid  me  good-bye,  nor  yet  left  any  message  for  me,  I  was 
troubled.  And  I  had  a  headache,  and  had  to  go  to  Sapphira's 
room  to  get  her  to  come  to  the  table,  and  the  sight  of  her 

55 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


crying  over  those  tiresome  rosebuds  made  me  angry;  and  I 
said  more  and  worse  than  you  did.  I  told  her  she  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  put  her  father  out  for  any  strange  man  ;  and  that 
the  fuss  she  was  making  over  Leonard  Murray  was  un- 
maidenly;  and  that  the  young  man  himself  was  far  too  free 
and  demonstrative  —  oh,  you  know,  Gerardus,  what  disagree 
able  things  a  fretful  mother  has  the  liberty  to  say  to  her 
child  !  And  then,  as  if  all  this  was  not  enough,  Annette  came 
in  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  I  told  her  Sapphira  was  not  well, 
but  she  would  go  to  her.  And,  of  course,  the  first  things  she 
noticed  were  the  white  roses  and  Sapphira's  trouble,  and  the 
little  minx  put  two  and  two  together  in  a  moment.  What 
do  you  think  she  said,  Gerardus?  " 

"  Pitied  Sapphira,  I  suppose." 

"  She  clapped  her  hands  and  cried  out,  '  Oh,  you  also  got 
roses!  White  ones!  Mine  were  pink  —  such  lovely  pink 
rosebuds!  My  colour  is  pink,  you  know.'  And  Sapphira 
answered,  '  I  thought  it  was  blue,'  but  Annette  dropped  the 
subject  at  once  and  began  to  rave  about  Sapphira's  swollen 
face  and  red  eyes,  and  offered  her  a  score  of  remedies  —  and  so 
on.  Sapphira  could  only  suffer.  You  know  she  would  have 
died  rather  than  express  either  curiosity  or  annoyance.  So, 
then,  having  given  Sapphira  the  third  and  crudest  blow,  she 
went  tripping  away,  telling  her  '  to  sleep,  and  not  to  dream 
of  the  handsome  Leonard.'  I  generally  go  to  Sapphira  after 
a  visit  from  Annette,  and  when  I  went  to  the  poor  child's 
room  she  was  sobbing  as  if  her  heart  would  break.  She  told 

56 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


me.  what  Annette  said,  and  cried  the  more,  because  she  had 
been  scolded  both  by  you  and  me,  and  all  for  nothing." 

"Poor  little  one!" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Gerardus.  These  young  hearts  suffer.  We 
have  forgotten  how  little  things  seemed  so  great  and  so  hard 
in  our  teens  ;  but  every  heart  is  a  fresh  heart,  and  made  that 
it  may  suffer,  I  think." 

"  I  do  not  believe  Annette  got  a  basket  of  pink  roses.  I  do 
not  like  Murray,  but  I  think  there  are  things  he  would  not 
do.  I  saw  a  letter  too  —  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket.  Oh,  I 
do  not  believe  Annette!  " 

"  That  is  so.  I  told  Sapphira  it  was  a  lie  —  oh,  yes,  I  will 
say  the  word  straight  out,  for  I  do  think  it  was  a  lie.  But 
she  is  a  clever  girl.  She  took  in  all  sides  of  the  question  as 
quick  as  lightning.  She  knew  they  were  from  Leonard,  and 
that  there  had  been  trouble,  and  she  knew  Sappha  would 
never  name  pink  roses  to  Leonard.  She  was  safe  enough  in 
Sappha's  pride,  for,  though  she  gave  a  positive  impression 
that  Leonard  had  sent  her  a  basket  of  pink  roses,  she  never 
said  it  was  Leonard.  If  brought  to  examination,  she  would 
have  pretended  astonishment  at  Sapphira's  inference,  modestly 
refused  the  donor's  name,  and  very  likely  added  '  indeed,  it 
was  only  a  little  jealousy,  dearest  Sapphira,  that  caused  you 
to  misunderstand  me.'  You  see,  I  have  known  Annette  all 
her  life.  She  always  manages  to  put  Sapphira  in  the  wrong  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  look  so  sweetly  innocent  herself." 

"  What  is  to  be  done  in  this  unhappy  affair,  Carlita?    Sit 

57 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


here  beside  me,  wife,  and  tell  me.     For  you  are  a  wise,  kind 
woman,  and  you  love  us  all." 

"  God  knows,  Gerardus !  I  have  been  thinking,  thinking, 
thinking,  through  the  livelong  day,  and  what  I  say^  is  this — 
let  those  things  alone  that  you  cannot  manage.  Because  you 
cannot  manage  them,  they  make  you  angry;  and  you  lose 
your  self-respect,  and  then  you  lose  your  temper,  and  then, 
there  is,  God  knows,  what  other  loss  of  love  and  life  and 
happiness.  My  father  used  to  say — and  my  father  was  a 
good  man,  Gerardus." 

"  No  better  man  ever  lived  than  father  Duprey." 
"  Well,  then,  he  always  said  that  birth,  marriage,  and 
death  were  God's  part ;  and  that  marriage  was  the  most  so  of 
all  these  three  great  events.  For  birth  only  gives  the  soul  into 
the  parent's  charge  for  perhaps  twenty  years;  and  then  all 
the  rest  of  life  is  in  the  charge  of  the  husband.  As  for  death, 
then,  it  is  God  Himself  that  takes  the  charge.  Let  the  young 
ones  come  and  go ;  they  may  be  fulfilling  His  will  and  way — 
if  we  enquire  after  His  will  and  way." 

"  But  if  Murray  speaks  to  me  for  Sapphira,  what  then  ?  " 

"  There  is  the  war.     Tell  him  marriage  is  impossible  until 

peace  comes.     War  time  is  beset  with  the  unexpected.     In 

love  affairs,  time  is  everything.     Speak  fairly  and  kindly,  and 

put  off." 

"  Very  good,  Carlita.  But  if  I  should  discover  any  reason 
why  the  marriage  should  not  be,  this  time  plan  is  not  the 
thing.  If  a  love  affair  ought  to  be  broken  off,  it  ought  to  be 

58 


THE    SPRING    OF    LIFE 


done  at  once  —  and  if  there  should  be  any  truth  in  those  pink 
roses!" 

"  Well,  Gerardus,  if  you  are  expecting  trouble,  you  may 
leave  Annette  to  make  it.  But  my  opinion  is  that  Sapphira 
ought  to  be  trusted.  If  you  believe  that  God  gave  her  into 
our  charge  for  her  sweet  childhood  and  girlhood,  can  you  not 
trust  Him  to  order  her  wifehood  and  motherhood  ;  and  even 
in  old  age,  to  carry  her  and  direct  her  way?  If  He  foresaw 
her  parents,  also,  He  foresaw  her  husband.  Are  you  not 
interfering  too  soon,  and  too  much?  After  all,  what  can  we 
do  against  destiny  ?  " 

"  You  are  right,  Carlita.  Go  now  and  comfort  the  poor 
child  a  little.  You  know  what  to  say  —  both  for  yourself  and 
for  me." 

Then  Mrs.  Bloommaert  rose,  smiling  trustfully  and 
happily,  but  at  the  door  she  turned.  Her  husband  went  to 
ward  her,  and  she  toward  him,  and  when  they  met,  she  kissed 
him  with  untranslatable  affection.  Again  she  was  at  the 
door,  and  the  judge  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room  watch 
ing  her.  As  she  slowly  opened  it,  he  made  up  his  mind  about 
something  he  had  been  pondering  for  a  couple  of  weeks. 

"  Carlita,"  he  said,  "  you  may  tell  Sapphira  that  to-mor 
row  I  will  buy  her  that  grand  pianoforte  at  Bailey  & 
Stevens',  that  she  was  so  delighted  with." 

"Oh,  my  dear  Gerardus!" 

"  It  is  not  white  rosebuds,  but  yet  she  may  like  it."  He 
could  not  help  this  little  fling. 

59 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  There  is  nothing  in  all  the  world  she  wanted  so  much, 
though  she  never  dreamed  of  possessing  it." 

"  We  shall  see,  dear  !    We  shall  see  !  " 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  door  opened  gently,  and  there 
was  a  swift,  light  movement.  Then  Sappha  was  at  his  knees, 
and  her  face  was  against  his  breast,  and  he  bent  his  head,  and 
she  threw  her  white  arms  around  his  neck  and  kissed  him. 
There  was  no  word  spoken  ;  and  there  was  none  needed  —  the 
kiss  —  the  kneeling  figure  —  the  clasping  arms,  were  the  clear 
est  of  explanations,  the  surest  of  all  promises.  Verily  "  he 
that  ruleth  his  spirit  is  stronger  than  he  who  taketh  a  city." 


00 


CHAPTER 
THREE 


A  Sweetness  More  Desired 
than  Spring 


OS. 


this  sort  of  veiled  truce  the  new  days 
came,  but  the  inheritance  of  those  other  few 
days,  following  the  declaration  of  war,  was 
not  disposed  of.  On  the  contrary,  its  in 
fluence  continually  increased;  though  Leon 
ard  received  from  Mrs.  Bloommaert  neither  special  favour 
nor  special  disregard.  As  for  the  judge,  he  preserved  a  grave 
courtesy,  which  the  young  man  found  it  almost  impossible 
either  to  warm,  or  to  move;  and  it  soon  became  obvious  to 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  that  her  husband's  frequent  visits  to  his 
friend,  General  Bloomfield,  were  made  in  order  to  prevent  all 
temjgtations  to  alter  the  polite  reserve  of  his  assumed  manner. 
But  the  lover's  power  is  the  poet's  power.  He  can  make 
love  from  all  the  common  strings  with  which  this  world  is 
strung,  j  And  this  time  was  far  from  being  common  ;  it  was 
thrilled  through  and  through  by  rumours  of  war,  of  defeat 
and  of  victory,  so  that  the  sound  of  trumpets,  and  the  march 
of  fighting  men  were  a  constant  obligate  to  the  most  trivial 
affairs.  No  one  knew  what  great  news  any  hour  might 

61 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


bring.  Expectation  stood  on  tiptoe  waiting  for  the  incredi 
ble.  This  was  not  only  the  case  in  America.  All  over 
Christendom  the  war  flags  were  flying,  and  the  nations  humb 
ling  themeselves  before  the  great  Napoleon.  With  an  army 
of  more  than  half  a  million  men  he  was  then  on  his  way  to  in 
vade  the  dominions  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  was  waging  war  with  England  and  Spain,  in  the 
Spanish  peninsula.  The  greater  part  of  the  rest  of  Europe 
was  subject  to  his  control;  and  England  was  necessarily  at 
war,  not  only  with  Napoleon,  but  with  all  the  other  powers 
of  Europe,  who  were  either  allies  or  dependents  of  Napoleon. 
Under  such  circumstances  it  was  hardly  likely  that  she 
would  send  any  greater  force  from  her  continental  wars  than 
she  thought  necessary  to  maintain  her  possessions  in  America. 
Thus,  as  yet,  there  was  all  the  stir  and  enthusiasm  of  war, 
without  any  great  fear  of  immediate  danger. 

Leonard  came  and  went,  as  many  other  young  men  did, 
to  the  house  of  Bloommaert;  and  their  talk  was  all  of  fight 
ing.  But  the  eyes  have  a  language  of  their  own;  the  hands 
speak,  flowers  and  books  and  music,  all  were  messengers  of 
love,  and  did  his  high  behests.  Moreover,  New  York  was 
even  abnormally  gay.  She  gave  vent  to  her  emotions  in 
social  delights  and  unlimited  hospitality.  Tea-  and  card- 
parties,  assemblies  or  subscription  balls,  excursions  up  the 
river,  visits  to  Ballston  mineral  springs,  riding  and  driving, 
and  the  evening  saunter  on  the  Battery  —  when  the  moon 
shone,  and  the  band  played,  and  embryo  heroes  brought  ices 

62 


SWEETNESS    MORE    THAN    SPRING 

t^)0«igic^^ijtt.«''^-^[>B-«3^^ooo<g^^fl<Ki<g^ 

and  made  honest  love — all  these  things  were  part  and  parcel 
of  these  early  days  of  war,  in  eighteen  hundred  and  twelve; 
and  Leonard  Murray  and  Sapphira  Bloommaert  met  under 
such  happy  circumstances  continually. 

The  Bowling  Green  was  the  heart  of  this  festivity,  for  it 
was  the  headquarters  of  the  military  commanders ;  and  all  the 
colour  and  pomp  of  war  centred  there.  Every  morning 
Sappha  awoke  to  the  sound  of  martial  music;  and  every  hour 
of  daylight  the  sidewalks  were  gay  with  the  uniforms  of  the 
army  and  the  militia.  It  was  Annette's  misfortune  to  live  in 
Nassau  Street;  but  then,  as  she  said,  "  a  great  many  officers 
found  Nassau  Street  a  convenient  way  to  the  Battery." 
Doubtless  they  did  so,  for  her  pretty  face  among  the  flowers 
and  tantalising  shrubbery  of  the  house  was  an  attraction 
worth  going  a  little  out  of  the  way  for.  However,  both  An 
nette  and  Madame  Bloommaert  spent  much  time  at  the  house 
on  the  Bowling  Green;  and  no  one  was  more  interested  in 
public  affairs  than  the  judge's  mother.  Her  daughter-in-law 
had  many  other  cares  and  duties;  but  the  war  to  Madame 
Jonaca  Bloommaert  was  the  pivot  on  which  all  her  interests 
hung. 

She  was  sitting,  one  morning  towards  the  end  of  July,  eat 
ing  breakfast  with  her  granddaughter.  There  was  a  little 
breeze  wandering  about  the  old  place,  and  madame  wore 
her  white  Canton  crape  shawl,  a  sure  sign  that  she  intended 
to  go  to  the  Bowling  Green.  Well  Annette  had  prepared 
herself  for  such  a  likely  visit,  and  she  looked  with  complacent 

63 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


satisfaction  at  her  figured  chintz  frock,  and  her  snow-white 
pelerine  of  the  sheerest  muslin. 

"  About  that  affair  at  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  last 
Sunday,  I  want  to  ask  your  uncle  Gerardus,"  said  madame. 
"  I  take  leave  to  say  it  was  not  respectable.  I  can  hardly 
credit  the  tale  —  eh;  what  do  you  think?  " 

"  It  must  be  true,  grandmother  ;  I  was  at  the  dinner  table 
yesterday  when  cousin  Peter  came  in  and  told  us." 
M    "Told  you?     What  then?" 

"  He  said  that  after  leaving  church  on  Sunday  morning, 
and  seeing  us  safely  to  our  gate,  he  went  up  Nassau  Street 
and  crossed  the  City  Hall  Park,  intending  to  call  on  John 
Van  Ambridge.  Not  finding  him  at  home,  he  took  the 
Broadway  to  the  Bowling  Green,  and  as  he  was  passing 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  an  artillery  regiment  marched 
out  of  the  church,  playing  Yankee  Doodle;  and  so  up  Broad 
way,  to  both  the  outspoken  anger  and  outspoken  pleasure  of 
the  crowd.  Many  men  called  on  them  to  cease;  others  bid 
them  go  on,  and  there  was  a  commotion  that  would  likely 
have  been  much  greater,  if  it  had  not  been  Sunday." 

"What  said  Peter?" 

"  He  did  not  like  it  ;  he  said  it  never  could  have  hap 
pened  at  the  Middle  Dutch  Church,  and  so  he  laid  all  the 
blame  on  Episcopacy." 

"  And  what  said  your  uncle?  " 

"  He  did  not  like  it  either.  He  thought  the  officers  should 
be  reprimanded.  What  do  you  say,  grandmother?  " 

64 


"  I  like  it." 

Annette  smiled  with  a  pleasant  anticipation.  She  rather 
enjoyed  a  difference  of  opinion  between  the  household  powers. 
There  was  generally  some  small  advantage  in  one  way  or 
another  as  a  result.  Reconciliations  were  sure  to  follow,  and 
reconciliations  brought  laxities  and  favours — not  infrequently 
gifts.  She  did  not  forget  Sappha's  new  piano — the  white 
roses  and  the  tear-stained  face,  and  as  a  natural  sequence — 
the  piano. 

As  they  took  their  way  to  the  Bowling  Green  madame 
noticed  an  unusual  quiet  in  the  streets,  but  Annette,  to  whom 
the  Bowling  Green  represented  New  York,  thought  every 
thing  very  lively.  The  musical  exit  from  St.  John's  supplied 
the  conversation,  or  at  least  seasoned  it  with  a  just  interesting 
acrimony,  till  the  dinner  hour  arrived.  The  judge  was  al 
ways  pleased  to  see  his  mother,  and  always  placed  her  in  his 
own  seat  at  the  table  when  she  eat  with  them,  and  this  loyal 
respect  and  kindness,  though  so  often  repeated,  never  failed 
to  touch  madame  as  if  it  was  a  new  thing  that  very  hour.  So 
she  spoke  far  more  tolerantly  than  she  intended,  about  the 
scene  at  St.  John's,  and  expended  her  little  store  of  wrath 
upon  an  ordinance  which  the  Common  Council  had  just 
passed,  making  it  unlawful  for  any  one  but  those  in  actual 
service  to  beat  drums  or  play  fifes  on  the  streets,  except 
under  great  restrictions  as  to  time.  Madame  indignantly 
declared  such  a  law  to  be  "  a  restriction  on  the  liberty  of  the 
individual ;  "  and  she  reminded  her  son  how  much  of  a  sin- 

65 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


ner   he  himself  had  been,  when  the  Revolutionary  War  was 
beginning. 

"  You  were  then  a  lad  of  only  ten  years  old,  Gerardus,  yet 
the  drum  was  never  out  of  your  hands,  unless  you  were  play 
ing  the  fife,"  she  said. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  this,  mother,"  he  answered.  "  The 
suffering  that  has  been  caused  by  such  exhibitions  of  boyish 
patriotism  is  beyond  our  counting.  The  healthy  have  been 
made  sick,  the  sick  have  been  made  worse,  and  in  many  cases, 
undoubtedly,  they  have  died  in  consequence  of  the  perpetual 
noise.  Latterly  these  bands  have  taken  to  beating  drums 
incessantly  before  the  house  of  any  one  thought  to  be  opposed 
to  the  war,  and  the  general  distress  has  compelled  house 
holders  to  beseech  the  Town  Council  for  its  interference." 

"An  old  woman  am  I,"  said  madame,  "  but  the  noise 
never  annoyed  me." 

"  Mother,  you  are  not  an  old  woman,  and  you  will  never 
be  old.  If  you  see  one  hundred  years,  you  will  die  young." 

She  put  out  her  thin,  brown  hand  towards  her  son  at  this 
compliment,  and  he  laid  his  own  all  over  it.  Then  she 
added  a  little  defiantly:  "  More  noise  than  ever  we  shall 
have  in  a  day  or  two.  Just  nobody,  is  the  Common  Council. 
The  new  disease  is  noise,  and  the  boys  all  have  it." 

"  Well,  then,  mother,  the  law  will  make  short  work  of  it  — 
there  is  a  heavy  fine  and  the  watch-house  for  those  who  do 
not  mind  the  law." 

"Poor  boys!" 

66 


SWEETNESS    MORE    THAN    SPRING 


"  I  think  we  have  had  enough  of  that  subject,"  said  Mrs. 
Bloommaert;  "  is  there  no  other  news,  Gerardus?  " 

"  Well,  my  friend  General  Bloomfield  is  to  be  relieved  of 
his  command  here;  so  my  pleasant  evening  smoke  and  chat 
with  him  will  soon  come  to  an  end.  I  heard,  also,  that  the 
company  raised  by  Leonard  Murray  had  joined  Colonel  Har- 
sen's  artillery  regiment,  and  offered  their  services  as  a  body 
to  the  governor,  and  that  it  has  been  accepted.  Some  parts 
of  it  will  go  to  Staten  Island,  others  to  Bedloe's  Island  and 
the  Narrows." 

He  did  not  raise  his  eyes  as  he  made  this  statement,  or  he 
must  have  seen  the  face  of  his  daughter  flush  and  pale  at  his 
words.  She  understood  from  them  that  Leonard  would 
leave  New  York,  and  she  could  not  imagine  how  long  his 
absence  might  be.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  did  not  speak;  but  she 
looked  curiously  at  the  dropped  countenance  of  her  husband. 
In  some  dim,  undefined  way,  she  came  in  a  moment  to  the 
conclusion  that  this  bit  of  military  movement  had  been 
effected  by  General  Bloomfield,  in  order  to  please  his  friend. 
Annette  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  said  some  one,  or  some 
thing,  always  carried  off  her  friends.  She  wondered  what 
she  should  do  without  Leonard  —  he  was  so  obliging,  so  merry, 
eo  always  on  hand  when  she  wanted  him,  and  so  discreetly 
absent  when  she  would  have  felt  him  a  nuisance.  She  went 
on  in  a  pretty,  complaining  way,  as  if  Leonard  was  her 
special  friend,  or  even  lover,  and  though  all  present  looked  at 
her  with  a  mild  astonishment,  no  one  cared  to  contradict  the 

67 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


position  she  had  taken.  Madame  even  endorsed  it  by  her 
unconscious  affectation  of  sympathy.  "  You  have  a  trifle  of 
eight  or  ten  other  admirers,  child,"  she  said  ;  "  and  Leonard 
Murray  is  by  no  means  unparagoned.  A  token  give  to  him, 
and  let  him  go;  a  little  discipline,  that  will  be  good  for  him." 

This  discussion  had  given  Sappha  time  for  self-control,  and 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  looked  with  admiration  at  her  daughter. 
She  had  feared  some  scornful  or  passionate  word,  but  the 
lace  of  Sappha  was  as  calm  as  that  of  a  sleeping  child.  She 
had  taken  possession  of  herself  completely  ;  and  she  asked  her 
mother  for  some  delicacy  she  wanted,  with  an  air  of  one  only 
concerned  about  her  dinner.  For  by  a  strong  mental  effort 
she  had  closed  the  door  on  Leonard  for  the  time  being:  she 
loved  him  too  well,  and  too  nobly,  to  babble  about  her  re 
lations  with  him  —  especially  with  her  cousin  Annette. 

She  asked  her  father  for  no  further  information,  and  he 
was  pleased  at  her  reticence;  so  much  so  that  he  gently 
stroked  her  hair  as  he  passed  her  seat  in  going  out;  and  the 
smile  she  gave  him  in  return  made  him  thoroughly  respect 
her.  It  was  a  time  when  it  was  considered  a  mark  of  re 
finement  in  a  woman  to  weep  readily  ;  and  if  under  the  stress 
of  any  unusual  joy  or  grief  or  disappointment  she  fainted 
away,  she  was  thought  to  have  done  the  right  thing  to  prove 
her  exquisite  sensibility.  But  if  Sapphira  had  fainted  on 
hearing  of  her  lover's  departure,  the  judge  would  never  have 
stroked  her  hair,  and  she  would  also  'have  missed  that  com 
prehensive,  kindling  glance  from  her  mother,  which  at  once 

68 


SWEETNESS    MORE    THAN    SPRING 


bid  her  be  brave  for  the  occasion,  and  assured  her  of  sym 
pathy. 

But  the  weariest  river  finds  the  sea  somewhere,  and  the 
time  and  the  hour  run  through  the  longest  day.  There  were 
visitors  after  dinner,  and  then  tea-time  came  and  went;  and 
the  judge  prepared  himself  to  see  his  mother  and  niece  safely 
to  their  home. 

"And,  Carlita,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "  I  may  not  be  home  un 
til  late.  There  is  to  be  a  meeting  at  Tammany  Hall  to  ap 
prove  the  war,  and  considering  our  conversation  to-day  at 
dinner,  one  thing  about  the  call  is  worth  telling  you  —  it  is 
'  recommended  to  citizens  of  forty-five  years  of  age  and  up 
ward.'  " 

Madame  laughed  and  gave  her  long  mitts  an  impatient 
jerk  —  "  these  greybeards  of  '  forty-five  and  upward  '  are  go 
ing  to  talk  very  wisely,  no  doubt,"  she  said  ;  "  but  the  young 
men  it  is,  who  will  man  the  ships  and  the  batteries,  and  the 
real  fighting  do." 

"  The  old  men  will  lead  them,  mother." 

"  Sixteen  were  you  when  you  went  to  the  front  in  the  last 
war,  Gerardus;  and  Aaron  Burr,  who  was  no  older,  if  as 
old,  carried  messages  between  Arnold  and  Montgomery 
through  the  thick  of  the  fight  at  Quebec;  and  when  Mont 
gomery  fell,  little  Burr  it  was  who  caught  his  body  and 
carried  it  out  of  the  line  of  fire  through  a  very  rain  of  bul 
lets  —  a  boy,  mind  you  !  " 

"  Mother,  I  have  divested  myself  of  all  community  of  feel- 

69 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


ing  with  the  man  called  Aaron  Burr,  and  of  all  interest  what 
ever  in  his  sayings  and  doings." 

"  There  it  is !  However,  the  sayings  and  doings  will  talk 
for  themselves  some  day.  Come,  let  us  be  going.  Carlita 
looks  worn  out  with  our  chatter." 

Carlita  did  not  deny  the  imputation,  and  as  soon  as  the 
echo  of  their  footsteps  had  died  away  in  the  distance,  she 
said,  "  Sappha,  carry  the  candles  into  the  other  parlour.  I 
want  to  lie  down  on  the  sofa.  I  want  to  be  quiet  and  dark, 
and  find  out  where  I  am,  and  what  I  am.  The  strain  has 
been  very  hard.  Nassau  Street  always  leaves  me  feeling  fit 
for  nothing  but  sleep." 

"  And  then  to  end  it,  that  weary  Aaron  Burr  contro 
versy.  Can't  people  let  him  alone  ?  " 

"  No !  When  he  did  well,  he  heard  it  never ;  now  they 
say  he  has  done  ill,  he  hears  of  it  day  in  and  day  out." 

So  Sappha  went  to  the  best  parlour,  where  the  piano  still 
stood  open,  with  the  new  music  scattered  over  it.  She  put 
it  in  order,  and  the  very  act  brought  her  a  restful,  thought 
ful  mood.  Then  she  closed  the  instrument,  and  drawing  a 
comfortable  chair  before  the  window  she  sat  down  to  com 
mune  with  her  own  heart.  If  what  her  father  had  said 
concerning  Leonard's  company  was  correct — and  she  had  no 
doubt  of  it — then  it  was  almost  certain  Leonard  would  him 
self  call  and  tell  her.  He  might  call  that  very  night;  she 
was  finally  sure  he  would  call,  and  her  ears  took  intent  note 
of  every  sound,  and  of  every  coming  footstep. 

70 


SWEETNESS     MORE    THAN     SPRING 


Very  rarely  are  our  hopes  and  wishes  accomplished!  But 
this  hour  was  favourable  to  Sappha's  love.  In  a  very  short 
time  she  heard  the  strong,  quick  steps  she  was  waiting  to 
hear;  and  her  face  grew  luminous  with  pleasure,  and  a 
sweet  smile  made  her  little  red  mouth  enchanting.  She  did 
not  go  to  meet  him  —  the  front  door  stood  wide  open  these 
summer  evenings,  and  there  was  a  distinct  luxury  in  sitting 
still  and  waiting  for  the  approach  of  happiness.  It  was  ap 
proaching  so  surely,  so  swiftly,  and  as  the  steps  came  near, 
and  more  near,  she  heard  in  that  scarcely  broken  silence  the 
oracle  of  her  heart. 

He  entered  softly,  with  a  grace  half-mystical  and  half- 
sensuous;  and  without  a  word  stood  over  her.  Then  she 
lifted  her  eyes,  and  he  saw  their  bright  light  turn  tender,  and 
he  stooped  and  laid  his  cheek  against  hers,  and  whispered: 
"  Do  you  love  me?  Do  you  love  me?  Do  you  love  me, 
Sappha?  Speak,  dearest!  Speak  quickly!  Oh,  speak 
kindly!" 

And  her  soul  flew  to  her  lips,  and  there  was  no  need  of 
words.  Love  found  a  sweeter  interpretation. 

"  Thy  little  white  hand,  give  it  to  me." 

She  had  no  will  to  refuse  it,  almost  of  its  own  will  it 
slipped  between  the  two  strong  hands  that  held  it  fast.  Then 
he  found  out  those  happy  love  words  that  are  so  glad  that 
they  dance  as  they  burn;  those  words  at  once  so  simple  and 
so  wise,  so  gentle  and  so  strong. 

And  the  great  marvel  of  love  is  ever  this  —  the  slenderness 

71 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

of  the  knowledge  and  experience  which  compels  one  human 
being  to  say  to  another,  "  I  love  ^ou !  "  which  compels  souls 
to  rush  together,  as  if  they  were  drawn  by  some  such  irresist 
ible  attraction  as  compels  planets  to  follow  their  orbits. 
Both  were  so  young  and  so  happy  that  they  made  each  other 
seem  lovelier  as  they  sat  with  clasped  hands,  speaking  of 
Leonard's  company  and  its  destination. 

"  How  shall  I  endure  your  absence,  Leonard?  I  know 
not.  You  are  my  life,  now,  dear  one,"  said  Sappha. 

"  But,  Sappha,  my  sweet,  I  shall  be  in  your  thoughts,  as 
you  in  mine;  and  we  shall  not  know  that  we  are  apart. 
Besides,  it  will  be  only  for  ninety  days." 

"  Ah,  but,  Leonard,  love  reckons  days  for  years,  and  every 
little  absence  is  an  age!  The  tedious  hours  will  move 
heavily  away,  and  every  minute  seem  a  lazy  day." 

"  Where  have  you  learned  all  this?  " 

"  You  taught  me." 

"  Oh,  love !  love !  love !  How  sweet  you  are !  When  I 
return,  then  you  will  be  my  wife.  Let  me  speak  to  your 
father  and  mother  to-night.  Why  should  we  wait  ?  " 

"  Leonard,  I  have  promised  my  father  and  mother  that  I 
will  not  engage  myself  to  any  one,  until  the  war  is  over." 

"  But  that  was  before  this  happy  hour.  Such  a  promise 
cannot  now  stand,  darling." 

"  It  cannot  be  broken.  How  could  you  ever  trust  me  if 
I  was  false  to  the  dear  father  and  mother  who  love  me  so 
much?" 

72 


SWEETNESS     MORE    THAN     SPRING 


"  But  we  are  engaged,  Sappha.  No  mere  ceremony  of 
asking  consent  can  ever  make  us  more  truly  one." 

"  Then,  my  love,  be  content  with  that  knowledge."' 

"  The  war  may  last  a  lifetime." 

"  It  may  be  over  in  a  year  —  or  less." 

The  love-light  in  her  eyes,  her  tremulous  smiles,  her 
penetrative  loveliness,  her  confident  heart's  still  fervour,  filled 
him  with  an  inward  gladness  that  was  unspeakable.  His 
eyes  dilated  with  rapture;  he  felt  as  if  he  was  walking  on 
air,  and  breathing  some  diviner  atmosphere.  The  joy  of 
love  had  gone  to  his  head  like  wine. 

In  a  little  while  Mrs.  Bloommaert  came  into  the  room, 
and  though  she  was  sleepy  and  distrait,  she  could  not  but 
notice  the  couple  who  stood  up  hand-in-hand  to  meet  her. 
Sappha  was  eighteen  years  old,  but  her  radiant  face  looked 
almost  childlike  in  its  innocent  joyousness;  and  Leonard  at 
her  side  was  the  incarnation  of  young  manhood;  endowed 
with  strength  and  grace  and  beauty,  and  crowned  with  the 
glory  of  fortunate  love. 

Leonard  wished  her  to  understand,  but  she  smiled  away 
all  explanations,  and  pretended  a  little  worry  over  her  long 
sleep,  and  the  late  hour;  and  there  was  nothing  left  for 
Leonard  but  to  say  "  Good-night."  They  both  went  to 
the  door  with  him,  and  when  he  was  out  of  sight,  the  door 
was  shut  and  the  mother  said,  "  I  must  have  been  asleep  ! 
Your  father  will  be  here  soon,  Sappha.  You  had  better  go 
to  bed.  I  suppose  Leonard  is  going  with  the  men  he  raised." 


'HE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Yes,  he  is  going." 

"  He  ought  to  be  glad  to  go.  It  is  good  for  a  young  man 
to  have  some  experiences.  Well,  dear  one,  the  day  is  over; 
and  you  must  be  tired." 

Then  Sappha  perceived  that  her  mother  did  not  wish  to 
know  authentically,  what  she  understood  clearly  enough ; 
and  a  little  saddened  by  this  want  of  sympathy,  she  went 
quietly  into  solitude  with  her  joy. 

The  three  months  that  followed  this  interview  were  filled 
with  incident.  New  Yorkers  needed  no  theatre;  the  war 
supplied  every  emotion  of  dismay  and  triumph  of  which  the 
human  heart  is  capable.  "On  to  Canada! "  had  been  the 
slogan  at  its  commencement;  and  General  Hull  with  over 
two  thousand  fine  troops  quickly  took  peaceable  possession  of 
the  little  village  of  Sandwich,  on  the  Canadian  shore.  His 
first  dispatches  threw  New  York  into  a  tumult  of  excitement 
and  delight.  The  American  flag  was  flying  on  both  sides  of 
the  Niagara  River,  and  from  the  grandiloquent  proclama 
tion  Hull  had  made  the  Canadians,  and  his  first  dispatches, 
it  really  appeared  as  if  Canada  had  fallen.  But  even  while 
bells  were  ringing  and  cannons  firing  jubilates  for  this  news, 
Hull  himself  had  thrown  out  the  white  flag  from  his  fort  at 
Detroit,  and  surrendered  the  stronghold  and  all  his  forces 
without  firing  a  gun.  The  anger  and  mortification  of  the 
people  were  in  due  season,  however,  turned  into  triumph; 
for  if  General  Hull  surrendered  on  the  nineteenth  of 
August,  Captain  Hull  of  the  frigate  Constitution  on  the 

74 


SWEETNESS    MORE    THAN    SPRING 


tenth  of  August  took  the  British  man-of-war  Guerriere  on 
the  coast  of  Newfoundland;  and  the  news  of  this  victory, 
which  arrived  in  New  York  about  the  first  of  September, 
roused  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 

This  circumstance  indicates  very  well  the  progress  of  the 
war.  The  army  operations  on  the  Canadian  frontier  were 
everywhere  disastrous  to  America;  on  the  ocean  her  ships 
vindicated  by  constant  brilliant  victories  the  descent  of  her 
sailors  from  that  great  maritime  power  whose  flag  had 
braved  a  thousand  years  the  battle  and  the  breeze.  There 
is  not  in  all  history  a  more  splendid  naval  record  than  the 
United  States  made  during  these  ninety  days  of  alternate 
dismay  and  triumph.  And  no  city  felt  these  wonderful  sea 
victories  quite  as  New  York  did.  Her  great  ship-yards  on 
the  East  River  had  sent  out  the  armed  frigates  and  brigs, 
that  were  covering  the  nation,  even  in  the  eyes  of  her  enemy, 
with  a  great  and  unexpected  glory.  The  Constitution!  the 
President!  the  Essex!  the  United  States!  these  gallant 
ships  had  a  kind  of  personality  to  New  Yorkers.  They  had 
seen  them  grow  to  perfection  in  Christian  Bergh's  and  Adam 
Brown's  yards.  They  had  stood  godfathers  at  their  christ 
ening,  and  they  watched  their  valiant  careers  almost  as  a 
father  watches  his  son's  course  to  a  glorious  success. 

On  the  fourth  of  September  Sappha  and  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert  were  in  Greenwich  Street  shopping,  when  they  sud 
denly  heard  a  wild  shout  of  joy.  "  The  Constitution!  the 
Constitution!"  From  mouth  to  mouth  the  two  words  flew 

75 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


like  wild-fire.  The  whole  city  was  roaring  them.  The  bells 
clappe'd  them  out.  The  cannon  sent  them  thundering  over 
land  and  sea.  Men  meeting,  though  strangers,  clasped  hands  ; 
and  women  threw  themselves  into  each  other's  arms,  weep 
ing.  Was  there  feeling  enough  left  for  a  maid  to  be  love 
lorn  or  melancholy?  Not  in  Sappha's  case.  She  gave  her 
whole  heart  to  rejoice  with  her  country  first,  and  then 
proudly  remembered  the  dear  youth  who  must  at  that 
moment  be  rejoicing  with  her. 

Letters  from  him  came  more  frequently  than  she  had  dared 
to  hope.  Some  one  available  as  a  messenger  was  frequently 
at  the  Narrows  fort,  and  Leonard  never  missed  an  oppor 
tunity.  There  was  no  restriction  on  this  correspondence  by 
her  father  and  mother,  though  at  the  beginning  of  it  the 
judge  strongly  advised  restriction. 

"  Written  words  cannot  be  denied  or  rubbed  out,  Carlita," 
he  said.  "  I  know  what  young  men  are.  Suppose  Leonard 
should  show  Sappha's  letters  to  some  companion." 

"  Suppose  an  impossibility,  Gerardus." 

"  Not  so.  A  man  in  love  is  always  a  vain  man,  if  his  love 
is  returned.  He  has  conquered,  and  he  puts  on  all  the  airs 
of  a  victor.  He  usually  wants  some  one  to  admire  and  envy 
him,  and  a  love  letter  is  a  visible  proof  of  his  prowess  among 
women.  I  would  not  allow  Sappha  to  write." 

"  Then  you  are  in  the  wrong,  my  dear  one.  Nothing  is 
better  for  a  lover  than  a  course  of  love  letters.  It  is  the 
finest  education  for  marriage." 

76 


SWEETNESS    MORE    THAN    SPRING 


"  They  say  so  many  extravagant  things." 

"  Very  well.  That  is  good.  They  get  used  to  saying  fine 
things,  then  they  feel  them,  and  'tis  no  harm  at  all  for  a 
lover  to  write  down  his  mistress  '  an  angel.'  He  may  treat 
her  the  better  for  it,  all  their  lives  together." 

"  So  !  so  !  Take  thy  own  foolish  way,  wife.  I  do  not 
forget  thy  dear  little  love  notes  —  and  ever  the  few  leaves  of 
sweet  brier  in  them.  I  can  smell  it  yet." 

So  Sappha  had  her  love  letters,  and  she  also  wrote  them. 
Leonard's  were  like  himself,  frankly  outspoken,  full  of  ex 
travagancy,  both  in  love  and  war.  "  He  loved  her  as 
never  man  loved  before  ;  "  and  she  saw  the  words  shine  on 
the  paper,  and  believed  in  them  with  all  her  soul.  "  He 
longed  for  those  unspeakable  English  tyrants  to  come  within 
reach  of  their  guns,  they  would  be  sunk  twenty  fathoms  deep 
in  no  time  —  then,  then,  then,  oh,  then  he  would  fly  to  her, 
as  a  bird  to  its  nest!"  Love  and  glory  mingled  thus,  until 
love  took  entire  possession;  then  the  conclusion  was  a 
passionate  exploiting  of  that  yearning  word  "  why?  "  "Why 
could  they  not  be  married  when  he  returned?  Why  should 
they  wait?  Why  did  she  not  think  as  he  did?  Why  con 
sider  the  war  at  all?  Why  let  that  old  tyrant  of  a  mother 
land  called  England  interfere  in  their  happiness?  Why 
let  anything?  Or  anybody?"  There  had  been  little 
parties  of  visitors  at  the  Narrows,  "  Why  had  she  not  per 
suaded  her  father  and  mother  to  sail  so  far  with  her?  Why, 
in  short,  did  she  not  understand  that  life  was  dreadfully  dull 

77 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


in  the  fort,  and  that  a  sight  of  her  would  be  heaven  to  him  ? 
Why?  Why?  Why  did  she  not  love  him  as  wildly  and 
fondly  and  eternally  as  he  loved  her?" 

All  this  exaggeration  was  the  most  beautiful  truth  to 
Sapphira.  She  adored  her  lover  for  the  very  prodigality  of 
his  pleas  and  protestations.  It  was  right  and  proper  that 
lovers  should  suffer  all  the  pangs  of  separation;  she  was 
rather  proud  of  Leonard's  wailing  and  complaining;  and 
careful  not  to  comfort  it  too  much,  by  comparing  it  with  her 
own.  Indeed  she  rather  affected  the  style  of  a  sweet  little 
mentor,  bound  to  remind  him  that  he  must  love  honour, 
even  before  herself.  And  she  so  blended  their  own  hopes 
and  happiness  with  domestic  and  public  affairs  as  to  make 
her  letters  all  that  a  daily  paper  might  be  to  a  man  shut  up 
in  prison,  or  in  a  fort  in  a  wilderness.  Leonard  saw 
through  them,  the  New  York  he  loved,  the  busy,  hopeful 
people,  talking,  trading,  singing,  smoking,  loving,  living 
through  every  sense  they  had;  and  he  felt  with  the  keenest 
delight  all  Sappha's  sweet  self-disparagements  and  com 
punctions  for  her  own  happiness  and  good  fortune  in  being 
beloved  by  him. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,  my  own  dear  friend,"  she  wrote  on 
the  sixth  of  November,  "  how  happy  your  assurances  of 
affection  make  me.  People  who  are  very,  very  happy  do  not 
know  how  to  write  down  their  joy.  I  have  no  words  but 
the  old,  old  ones  —  I  do  so  love  you!  If  I  but  think  of  your 
name,  I  bless  it  forever.  When  your  letters  come,  I  kiss  the 

78 


seal  before  I  open  them;  when  I  write  you  a  letter  I  look 
love  into  every  word  I  write.  My  father  does  not  speak  of 
you — oh,  there  is  so  much  else  for  him  to  talk  of !  My  mother 
looks  only  the  sweet  sympathy  she  will  not  utter,  until  my 
father  wills  it — and  in  that  she  is  right,  I  think.  Annette 
may  suspect,  but  she  knows  nothing  certainly;  our  secret  is 
very  much  our  own  yet,  and  the  dearer  for  it.  You  would 
say  so  also,  if  you  could  see  and  hear  New  York  at  the  pres 
ent  time.  In  spite  of  our  small  deprivations,  we  are  all  very 
happy.  The  militia  stationed  here  are  having  a  most  sociable 
time,  and  there  are  parades  and  reviews  constantly  in  prog 
ress.  The  theatre  is  now  filled  every  night  it  is  open,  and  if 
only  some  gallant  privateer,  or  some  sailor  from  the  ships 
comes  in,  the  performance  has  to  stop  until  he  has  been 
cheered  to  the  skies.  I  am  sorry,  my  dearest  friend,  that  you 
did  not  join  the  navy;  for  just  now  sailors  are  the  idols  of  our 
city — I  do  not  mean  that — oh,  no !  I  could  not  bear  to  think 
of  you  at  sea.  I  am  counting  the  days  and  the  hours  now. 
I  heard  mother  tell  Annette  that  the  men  at  the  Nar 
rows  would  be  home  for  the  great  parade  on  Evacuation 
Day,  Annette  clapped  her  hands  and  said  '  then  Leonard 
Murray  will  return  to  us;  and  I  shall  ask  grandmother  to 
give  him  a  dinner.  He  will  be  so  glad  to  see  me,'  she  added, 
'  and  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  see  him.'  She  put  me  out  of  cal 
culation,  and  I  did  not  mind;  for  if  you  remember,  what 
care  I  if  all  the  world  forgets  me  ?  It  is  too  bad  the  English 
ships  will  not  give  you  a  chance  of  glory,  we  have  almost 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


forgot  how  to  fear  them.  Every  one  is  in  high  spirits;  we 
have  no  doubt  of  God,  nor  our  country,  nor  of  our  brave 
sailors  and  soldiers.  And,  oh,  Leonard!  dear,  dear  Leon 
ard,  I  have  not  one  doubt  of  you.  So  then  I  send  you  my 
heart;  for  I  do  trust  you,  Leonard,  for  all  the  joy  that  life 
shall  bring  me.  Yes  I  do!  I  do!  Sappha." 

Such  foolish  words!  Ah,  no!  Such  words  of  delightful 
wisdom!  And  happy  indeed  is  the  woman  who  in  her 
youth  hides  such  letters  away  in  her  Book  of  Life.  They 
will  sweeten  every  page  of  it—  even  to  the  very  end. 


CHAPTER 
FOUR 


Introduces 
Mr.  Achille  St.  Ange 


{  J 


N  the  afternoon  of  November  the  twenty- 
fifth  Annette  was  sitting  with  her  grand 
mother  in  the  comfortable,  large  living  room 
which  the  elder  woman  loved.  Outside  the 
Of— -^?r--  jzjtipday  was  extraordinarily  beautiful  for  the 
season.  The  sky  was  nearly-cloudless,  the  balmy  air  had  just 
that  snap  of  early  frost  which  made  it  exhilarating,  and  there 
was  not  a  breath  of  wind.  The  tall,  straight  Michaelmas 
daisies  stood  radiantly  still  in  their  late  purple  glory;  the 
golden  marigolds  glowed  at  their  feet;  every  twig,  and  every 
blade  of  grass  might  have  been  cut  out  of  stone.  It  was  a 
speechless,  motionless,  spell-bound  garden,  lit  up  with  a  flood 
of  winter  sunshine. 

Madame  had  her  knitting  in  her  hand,  but  she  was  not 

busy  with  it;  her  gaze  was  fixed  upon  Annette,  who  was 

fastening  more  carefully  the  silver  spangles  on  a  gown  of 

blue  gauze.    "  Madame  Duval  barely  catches  them,"  she  said 

plaintively,  "  and  I  suppose  there  will  be  dancing  to-night." 

"  I  do  not  think  there  will  be  anything  of  the  kind,  An- 

8r 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


nette.  Your  aunt  will  have  to  use  the  largest  room  for 
dinner,  and  dinner  dishes  are  not  moved  by  magic.  Also,  I 
do  not  intend  to  remain  there  all  night;  so  fine  is  the 
weather  we  can  easily  return  home.  It  has  been  such  a 
tumultuous  day  that  I  shall  need  sleep,  and  out  of  my  own 
bed  I  never  get  it." 

"But  the  parade  was  splendid,  grandmother;  and  I  am 
sure  you  are  glad  you  saw  it." 

"  Oh,  my  child,  my  years  it  made  me  count.  So  well  I 
remember  the  first  Evacuation  Day  parade.  General  Wash 
ington  and  the  victorious  army  led  it.  Then  I  wept  because 
your  grandfather  was  not  among  living  heroes  —  to-day  I  did 
not  weep  —  so  soon  we  shall  meet  again."  A  sound  of  dis 
tant  music  arrested  speech,  and  they  listened  in  silence  till  it 
died  away.  Then  Annette  said  :  "  There  are  to  be  so  many 
public  dinners,  and  the  theatre  is  to  be  brilliantly  illuminated. 
Oh,  grandmother,  I  wish  you  would  let  me  go  with  the 
Westervelt  party  to  the  theatre.  What  excitement  there 
will  be  there!  What  cheering  and  singing  and  fine  acting! 
and  at  uncle's!  —  well,  you  know  what  uncle's  Evacuation 
dinners  are  —  ten  or  twelve  old  men  who  were  in  his  com 
pany  will  be  there;  and  they  will  tell  the  same  stories,  and 
sing  the  same  songs,  and  pay  the  ladies  the  same  compli 
ments.  I  would  like  to  go  to  the  theatre." 

"  To  your  uncle's  dinner  party  you  will  go  to-night  ;  and 
I  think  the  dress  you  are  spangling  is  too  light.  You  had 
better  wear  something  warmer." 

82 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


"  Grandmother,  I  saw  Sappha's  dress  yesterday  —  it  is  a 
white  gauze  with  brilliant  crimson  roses  scattered  over  it; 
and  it  is  to  be  worn  over  a  rich,  white  satin  slip.  Do  you 
want  me  to  look  a  dowdy  beside  her?  " 

"  Like  a  dowdy  you  could  not  look,  not  if  you  tried  to, 
Annette.  Of  your  health  I  want  you  to  take  good  care. 
Your  mother  had  very  weak  lungs." 

"  My  lungs  are  strong  enough,  grandmother,  it  is  my 
heart  that  is  so  dangerously  weak.  It  is  always  giving  me 
sensations.  Leonard  Murray  has  come  back  so  handsome, 
I  felt  my  heart  as  soon  as  I  saw  him." 

"  Annette,  in  such  a  way  as  that  a  good  girl  should  not 
talk,  even  to  her  grandmother.  I  do  not  think  it  is  re 
spectable.  I  am  too  lenient  with  you,  and  you  are  too  free 
with  me." 

"  Grandmother,  who  is  that  ?  He  is  coming  in  here.  I 
never  saw  the  man  before.  How  handsome!  how  genteel! 
how  simply  noble  he  looks!  I  must  send  Lucas  to  open  the 
door." 

In  a  minute  or  two  the  stranger  let  the  knocker  fall  lightly 
in  a  rat-tat-tat,  and  the  little  negro  boy  who  answered  his 
summons  put  him  into  the  chill  best  parlour,  and  brought  his 
card  to  madame.  She  read  the  name  on  it  with  difficulty, 
and  passing  the  card  to  Annette,  drew  her  brows  together  in 
an  effort  of  remembrance. 

"  Mr.  Achille  St.  Ange." 

"St.  Ange!     St.  Ange!    Ah,  yes,  I  now  recollect.     Ger- 

83 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

Mt<^^^W*^^>W<^^^QW<£ZZ^QW<£ZZ&Qb9<Z^^QbQ<^^&QWiSZ^QW<^^»QW*£^5>Wcz^>Wf£ZZ?*QQ<) 

trude  Bergen  married  a  French  gentleman  called  St.  Ange. 
Gertrude  and  I  were  schoolgirls  together.  I  was  one  of  her 
bridesmaids.  This  young  man  must  be  her  grandson.  It 
seems  incredible — impossible " 

"  But  in  the  meantime,  grandmother,  this  young  man  is 
waiting  in  the  cold  parlour." 

"  I  had  forgotten.     Let  Lucas  bring  him  here.     Do  y 
hear,  Lucas  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

In  a  few  moments  Mr.  St.  Ange  entered,  with  the  air  and 
manner  of  a  prince;  bowing  first  to  madame,  and  then,  with 
a  shade  less  deference,  to  Annette.  His  slight,  agile  figure 
had  the  erect  carriage  of  one  born  to  command;  and  his 
general  appearance  and  aspect  was  suggestively  haughty,  and 
yet  when  people  became  familiar  with  him,  they  saw  only  a 
careless  tolerance  of  all  opinions,  and  a  certain  compatibility 
of  temper,  which  easily  passed  for  good  nature.  His  hair  was 
intensely  black  and  soft,  and  lay  in  straight  locks  on  his  white 
brow;  his  eyes,  equally  dark,  were  full  of  a  sombre  fire;  his 
skin  had  the  pallor  of  the  hot  land  from  which  he  came. 

Madame  rose  to  welcome  him  and  remained  standing 
until  he  was  seated,  then  she  smilingly  resumed  her  chair, 
and  said : 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  St.  Agne,  for  a  moment  I  had  forgotten. 
Backward  for  more  than  half  a  century  I  had  to  think — then 
I  remembered  your  grandmother — Gertrude  Bergen.  Am  I 
right?" 

84 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


"Madame  is  correct,"  he  answered;  "my  grandmother 
died  ten  years  ago.  My  mother  is  also  no  longer  with  the  son, 
who  needs  her  so  much.  I  have  come  to  New  York,  and  I 
have  ventured  to  present  a  claim  on  your  kindness  three  gen 
erations  old." 

His  handsome  face,  his  direct  manner,  the  utter  absence  of 
anything  subtle  in  his  air  or  appearance,  perhaps  even  the 
grave  richness  of  his  perfectly  suitable  attire  prepossessed  both 
women  instantly  in  his  favour.  Madame  took  out  wine  and 
cake  with  her  own  hands;  Annette  was  the  cup-bearer,  and 
he  accepted  the  service  with  a  grace  far  more  flattering  than 
any  challenge  or  deprecation  of  it  could  have  been.  And 
as  Annette  handed  him  the  glass,  he  incidentally  —  quite  in 
cidentally,  indeed  —  lifted  his  eyes  to  hers,  and  the  glance 
seemed  to  rivet  her  to  the  spot,  to  include  not  only  her  vision, 
but  her  very  soul. 

Mr.  Achille  St.  Ange  wanted  a  friend,  that  was  all;  and 
madame  promised  to  do  her  best  to  advise  him  in  the  new  life 
upon  which  he  was  entering.  They  talked  a  little  of  his 
Louisiana  home,  and  of  his  future  intentions,  but  the  visit 
was  not  prolonged  at  this  time.  "  He  had  made  his 
introduction,"  he  said,  "  the  future  he  hoped  to  jus 
tify  it." 

The  advent  of  this  rekindled  friendship  was  quite  an  event 
to  madame.  She  could  do  nothing  but  talk  of  it;  she  kept 
recalling  her  life  with  Gertrude  Bergen,  and  she  wondered  a 
little  over  her  grandson's  appearance.  "  But,  then,"  she 

85 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

53»«^S>«C«CS>M«=C:3»00(>-e^>000>==»OW<=^=>OOI)<C^aa!;0«^^^Oa»=^^*ODO<=S^»C«=^S>«C<!=^E-(,0() 

continued,  "  Gertrude  was  from  Belgium,  and  swarthy, 
though  fine-looking.  Much  darker  is  her  grandson,  more 
intense,  more  buoyant — well,  that,  too,  is  natural ;  it  is  the 
French  esprit  upon  the  Dutch  respectability.  His  grand 
father  I  remember  now — the  most  careless  of  mortals,  full  of 
fire  and  fight,  and  yet  amiable — most  amiable.  We  all  en 
vied  Gertrude  a  little.  He  took  her  to  France — to  some  lit 
tle  town  near  Paris.  How  did  they  get  to  Louisiana,  I 
wonder?  " 

Annette  was  the  silent  one  in  this  event.  She  let  her 
grandmother  talk.  She  wanted  to  hear  all  about  Achille. 
The  man  had  made  a  singular  impression  on  her.  Many 
lovers  had  been  at  her  feet,  but  she  had  really  loved  none  of 
them.  Was  this  strange  emotion — more  akin  to  tears  than 
laughter — really  love?  She  told  herself  that  the  man  was 
captivating,  and  that  she  must  be  "  on  guard  "  whenever  he 
was  present.  And  withal  she  kept  wondering  "  what  he 
thought  of  her,"  and  worrying  because  she  was  not  dressed 
to  the  best  advantage. 

Perhaps  she  would  not  have  been  quite  pleased  if  she  had 
been  truthfully  told  Mr.  St.  Ange's  feeling  concerning  her, 
for  it  was  one  of  a  perverse  admiration,  oddly  mingled  of 
repulsion  and  fascination.  He  had  never  before  seen  a 
woman  so  startlingly  fair,  so  white — so  white  and  pink — 
eyes  so  blue,  hair  so  palely  yellow ;  her  beauty  struck  him  as 
great,  but  almost  uncanny — he  wondered  if  so  white  a 
woman  was  not  equally  cold.  Would  she  ever  warm  to 

86 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


love?  And  then  he  answered  his  reflections  with  a  soft  ut 
terance:  "  We  shall  see!  We  shall  see!  " 

The  dinner  party  at  the  judge's  was  to  be  at  four  o'clock, 
and  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  was  fully  occupied  in  preparing 
for  it.  And  in  this  preparation,  if  Annette  had  been  keeping 
"  guard  "  over  herself,  she  would  have  noticed  that  even 
already  the  stranger  influenced  her.  She  laid  aside  the 
spangled  robe  and  put  on  a  gown  of  purple  cloth  trimmed 
with  minever.  And  she  thought,  and  said,  that  this  change 
was  in  deference  to  her  grandmother's  desires  ;  but  in  reality 
it  came  from  the  feeling  that  Mr.  St.  Ange  would  not  be  at 
her  uncle's,  and  that  no  one  else  much  mattered.  Even  if 
Leonard  was  present,  she  felt  now  that  Leonard  was  a  past 
interest  ;  St.  Ange  was  new  and  different,  and  his  favour  full 
of  all  kinds  of  possibilities. 

On  arriving  at  the  house  on  the  Bowling  Green  they 
found  it  in  a  festal  state  of  confusion.  The  largest  parlour 
had  been  stripped  of  all  its  movable  furniture,  and  the  space 
devoted  to  a  long  table,  and  to  chairs  for  the  twenty  or  more 
people  that  were  to  be  seated.  It  already  shone  with  massive 
silver  and  beautiful  crystal;  while  the  odours  of  delicious 
meats  and  confections  inspired  a  sense  of  warmth  and  com 
fort,  and  of  good  things  to  come.  Blazing  fires  were  in  every 
grate;  the  numerous  silter  sconces  on  the  walls,  and  the 
scintillating  crystal  chandelier  above  the  table  were  all  filled 
with  wax  candles,  which  would  be  lit  as  soon  as  the  daylight 
waned  a  little  farther.  The  judge  was  in  full  evening  dress, 

8? 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  madame  in  brocaded  ruby  velvet,  with  a  string  of  pearls 
round  her  yet  beautiful  throat.  And  when  Sapphira  came 
into  the  room  Annette  was  deeply  mortified  at  her  own  fool 
ishness  in  dressing  so  plainly.  She  felt  that  she  had  wdunded 
and  humiliated  herself  for  a  probability.  In  a  moment  of 
new  hope  she  had  let  slip  the  certainties  Sappha  had  em 
braced.  For  Sappha,  in  her  rose-sprinkled  gown,  looked  as 
if  she  stepped  out  of  the  heart  of  a  rose.  Her  brilliant 
colour,  the  sunlike  radiancy  of  her  eyes,  her  glowing  gown, 
made  her,  indeed,  a  beauteous  apparition,  wonderfully  sweet 
and  noble.  Annette  looked  at  her  with  an  envious  surprise. 
Something  had  happened  to  her  cousin  Sappha;  what  it  was 
she  did  not  understand,  but  Sappha  had  an  air  of  mystery 
and  mastery,  unperceived  by  herself,  but  rousing  in  all  who 
knew  the  girl  intimately  a  questioning  wonder.  It  came 
from  an  interior  sense  of  settlement  and  completeness  ;  Sappha 
had  found  him  whom  her  soul  loved,  and  the  restlessness,  the 
unconscious  seeking  and  craving  of  girlhood,  was  over. 

In  her  desire  to  somewhat  equalise  things,  Annette  gave 
her  cousin  a  very  flowery  description  of  her  grandmother's 
strange  visitor.  She  described  him  as  the  most  beautiful, 
elegant,  and  graceful  of  human  creatures  ;  and  she  emphasised 
very  strongly  her  grandmother's  strong  claim  upon  his  affec 
tion  and  attention  —  "  '  a  friendship  in  its  third  generation,' 
he  called  it,  Sappha,  and  I  suppose  we  shall  see  a  great  deal 
of  him.  He  is  to  call  to-morrow  to  consult  grandmother 
about  his  money  and  his  business." 

88 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


"  Where  does  he  come  from?  "  Sappha  asked,  but  in  such 
a  listless  way  that  Annette  responded  angrily,  "  It  is  easy  to 
see  you  do  not  care  where  he  comes  from.  I  thought  you 
would  feel  some  interest  in  such  a  romantic  affair.  What 
are  the  old  men  and  women  who  will  be  here  to-night  in 
comparison  with  such  an  adorable  young  man?  And  how 
you  have  dressed  yourself  for  them!  Do  you  imagine  they 
will  appreciate,  or,  perhaps,  even  notice  it  ?  " 

"  I  dressed  myself  in  honour  of  the  day,  and  for  my  father 
and  mother's  oldest  friends.  Here  are  some  of  them  coming. 
I  must  help  mother  to  receive  them." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  going  to  be  an  unlucky  and  disagreeable 
night,"  sighed  Annette  to  herself,  as  she  stood  by  the  fire 
watching  the  rapid  arrival  of  cloaked  and  hooded  guests.  As 
she  mused  amid  the  happy  sounds  of  welcome,  she  noticed  a 
sudden  shutting  and  opening  of  Sappha's  bright  eyes,  and  an 
expression  of  more  eager  delight  on  her  face.  A  quick  pre 
sentiment  flashed  through  Annette's  mind,  and  she  followed 
her  cousin's  glance  to  the  little  group  advancing.  Yes,  it 
was  as  she  expected!  —  Leonard  Murray's  fair  head  towered 
in  youthful  beauty  and  animation  above  all  the  white-haired 
men  and  women  entering  the  room  with  him.  Then  Annette 
slipped  sweetly  past  all  obstructions,  and  with  a  smile  said 
softly  to  Sappha:  '  I  dressed  myself  in  honour  of  the  day, 
and  for  my  father  and  mother's  oldest  friends  !  '  Oh,  Sappha  ! 
Sappha!  Is  Mr.  Murray  among  their  oldest  friends?  " 

Sappha's  face  burned,  but  fortunately  there  was  no  time  for 

89 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

*W<=-^»W>«S.^>W<^>090«:^S>{WO<S^^O&0*£^>CQO*s^^OOO<=^3»030^ 

words.  The  judge  and  Peter  were  seating  their  guests,  and 
every  one  was  for  the  moment  silent  and  attentive.  Madame, 
his  mother,  had  the  head  of  the  table,  and  every  guest  saluted 
her  as  they  passed  to  their  own  seats.  And  what  a  goodly 
company  it  was!  Such  sturdy,  stalwart  men;  such  rosy- 
faced,  comfortable-looking,  handsome  women!  such  good 
will  and  fellow-feeling!  such  amiable  admiration  of  each 
other's  dress  and  appearance!  And  when  the  slaves  brought 
in,  at  shoulder  height,  the  hot  savoury  dishes,  such  simultane 
ous  delight  to  find  them  the  Hollandish  delicacies,  which  now 
remain  to  us  only  in  printed  descriptions;  yes,  even  to  the 
little  saucers  of  that  dear  condiment  made  of  pickled  and 
spiced  red  cabbage,  once  so  welcome  j»nd  necessary  to  the 
Dutch  palate.  And  pray,  what  mouth  once  familiar  with  its 
savour  and  flavour  and  relish  could  resist  the  delicately 
thin,  purple  strips?  Olives  were  already  taking  its  place  at 
the  tables  of  the  high-bred  citizens,  who  loved  French  fash 
ions  and  French  cooking;  but  among  these  old-fashioned, 
picturesque  figures,  its  antique,  homely  taste  and  aspect  was 
surely  beautiful  and  fitting.  At  any  rate,  there  was  no  one  at 
Judge  Bloommaert's  dinner  table  who  would  not  have 
passed  by  caviare  or  olives  or  any  other  condiment  in  its 
favour. 

Who  has  ever  written  down  happiness?  and  what  super 
fluity  of  words  would  describe  the  good  fellowship  of  the  next 
hour?  There  was  no  "hush"  on  any  source  of  innocent 
pleasure.  With  the  good  food  went  good  wine  and  good 

90 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


company,  and  above  all,  and  through  all,  a  good  fellowship 
bounded  by  the  strongest  of  public  and  private  ties. 

And  as  the  more  substantial  dishes  gave  place  to  fruits  and 
confections,  the  nobler  part  of  the  feast  took  its  precedency. 
The  wine  was  consecrated  to  patriotism  and  friendship,  in 
heartfelt  toasts;  and  one  of  the  earliest,  and  the  most  en 
thusiastic,  was  given  to  Madame  Jonaca  Bloommaert.  It 
was  a  spontaneous  innovation,  roused  by  her  beautiful  old 
age,  and  her  young  enthusiasm,  and  she  was  for  a  moment 
embarrassed  by  the  unexpected.  Only  for  a  moment;  then 
she  rose  erect  as  a  girl,  her  face  kindling  to  her  emotions,  and 
in  a  clear  voice  answered  the  united  salutation  : 

"  My  friends,  I  thank  you  all.  There  has  been  much  talk 
of  the  Dutch  and  of  the  Americans.  Well,  then,  I  am  a 
Dutchwoman,  and  I  am  an  American.  Both  names  are  graven 
on  my  soul.  America  is  my  home,  America  is  my  native  land, 
and  I  would  give  my  own  life  for  her  prosperity.  But  also, 
Holland  is  my  Vaderland!  and  my  Moederland!  I  have 
never  seen  it,  I  never  shall  see  it,  but  what  then  ?  When  our 
Vaderland  and  Moederland  is  lost  to  sight,  good  Dutchmen, 
and  good  Dutchwomen,  find  it  in  their  hearts!  "  Her  thin 
hands  were  clasped  over  her  breast,  her  eyes  full  of  a  solemn 
ecstacy  ;  for  that  moment  she  put  off  the  vesture  of  her  years, 
and  stood  there,  shining  in  the  eternal  youth  of  the  soul. 

In  the  midst  of  feelings  not  translatable  she  sat  down,  and 
as  the  little  tumult  subsided  Peter  Bloommaert  rose,  and  said  : 

"  My  dear  grandmother  has  opened  our  hearts  for  the  song 

91 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


my  brother  Chris  wrote,  the  night  before  he  went  away.  I 
promised  to  sing  it  for  him  this  night,  and  my  friend,  Leonard 
Murray  —  who  has  it  set  to  some  good  music  —  will  help  me. 
It  is  my  business  to  build,  it  is  my  brother  Christopher's  busi 
ness  to  sail,  and  to  fight,  but  I  say  this  —  and  it  is  the  truth  — 
if  America,  my  native  land,  needs  my  hands  for  fighting,  the 
love  I  bear  for  my  Vaderland  will  only  make  me  fight  the 
better  for  my  native  land."  Then  he  looked  at  Leonard, 
and  the  two  young,  vibrant  voices,  blended  Christopher's 
"  Flag  Song  "  with  a  stirring  strain  of  catching  melody: 

O  Flag  of  the  Netherlands,  are  not  our  hearts 

All  flagbearers  sacred  to  thee? 
To  our  song,  and  our  shout,  O  banner  fly  out  \ 

Fly  out  o'er  the  land  and  the  sea  \ 
Unfold   thee,   unfold   thee,   invincible   flag, 

Remember  thy  brave,  younger  years, 
When   men   crying   '  Freedom  \  '   died   underneath  thee, 
'Mid  storming  and  clashing  of  spears. 
Flag  of  Fidelity! 
Piety,  Courage  ! 
Thy  Blue,  White,  and  Red 
We  salute  ! 

Thou  art  blue  as  the  skies,  and  red  as  the  dawn, 

Thou  art  white  as  the  noonday  light; 
Fidelity  gave  thee  her  beautiful  blue, 

And  Piety  bound  thee  in  white. 
Then  Faith  and  Fidelity  went  to  the  field 

Where  the  blood  of  thy  heroes  was  shed  ; 
And  there,  where  the  sword  was  the  breath  of  the  Lord, 
They  gave  thee  thy  ribbon  of  red. 
Flag  of  Fidelity! 
Piety!     Courage! 
Thy  Blue,  White,  and  Red 
We  salute! 

92 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


The  enthusiasm  evoked  by  this  Vlaggelied  was  kept  up  in 
toast  and  story  and  song  until  the  big  clock  in  the  hall 
struck  seven.  Then  the  judge  and  Colonel  Rutgers  rose; 
they  were  going  to  speak  at  a  dinner  given  by  the  officers  of 
the  Third  New  York  State  Artillery,  and  others  were  going 
either  to  the  theatre  or  to  Scudder's  Museum,  both  of  which 
buildings  were  to  be  brilliantly  illuminated.  But  a  few  of 
the  guests  would  willingly  have  prolonged  the  present  plea 
sure,  and  old  Samuel  Van  Slyck  said: 

"  Well,  then,  judge,  too  fast  is  your  clock.  There  is  yet 
one  good  half-hour  before  seven." 

"  No,  no,  Van  Slyck,"  answered  the  judge,  "  a  Dutch 
clock  goes  always  just  so  ;  you  cannot  make  it  too  fast."  And 
to  this  national  joke  the  party  rose;  they  rose  with  a  smile 
that  ended  in  an  involuntary  sigh  and  the  little  laughing  stir 
with  which  human  beings  try  to  hide  the  breaking  up  of  a 
happiness. 

Cloaked  and  hooded,  the  majority  went  northward  up 
Broadway;  but  quite  a  number  went  eastward  to  Nassau, 
Wall,  and  State  streets.  In  this  party  were  Madame 
Bloommaert  and  Annette,  their  escorts  being  Peter,  and 
Leonard  Murray.  They  were  the  last  to  leave,  for  they 
were  in  no  great  hurry  ;  so  they  took  leisurely  farewells,  and 
some  of  the  women  drank  a  cup  of  tea  standing  cloaked  in  the 
parlour.  In  this  short  postponement  Leonard  found  the 
moments  he  had  been  longing  for.  Never  had  Sappha  been 
so  entrancing  in  his  eyes,  and  the  radiancy  of  her  beauty  had 

93 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


not  charmed  him  more  than  the  graceful  generosity  with 
which  she  had  suffered  herself  to  be  eclipsed  for  the  honour 
and  pleasures  of  others.  And,  oh,  how  sweet  he  made  the 
cup  of  tea  he  brought  her,  with  such  honeyed  words  of 
praise!  And  how  proud  and  happy  he  was  made  by  her 
answer. 

"  If  I  was  fair  to  you,  dear  Leonard,  I  have  my  perfect 
wish;  for  when  you  are  not  here,  then  all  the  world  is 
nothing." 

They  were  both  happy  and  excited,  and  it  is  little  wonder 
if  they  betrayed  to  Annette's  sharp  eyes  more  than  they  in 
tended.  She  was  spending  all  her  fascinations  on  her  cousin 
Peter,  but  while  making  eyes  at  cousin  Peter  was  not 
oblivious  of  her  cousin  Sappha.  And  when  the  festal 
hours  were  quite  over  and  she  was  alone  with  her  grand 
mother,  she  could  not  avoid  giving  utterance  to  her  sus 
picions  : 

"  Grandmother,"  she  said,  putting  the  tips  of  her  ringers 
together  and  resting  her  chin  upon  them,  "  I  have  an 
idea." 

"Well,  then,  what  is  it?" 

"  I  think  Sappha  and  Leonard  Murray  are  not  only  in 
love  with  each  other  —  I  think,  also,  they  are  engaged." 

"  You  talk  more  nonsense  than  usual.  No  one  has  said  a 
word  of  that  kind  to  me.  Of  this  family,  I  am  the  head, 
there  could  be  no  engagement  without  my  approval.  Your 
uncle  and  aunt  would  have  told  me  at  once  —  Sappha  also. 
About  engagements,  what  do  you  know?  Lovers  you  have. 

94 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


but  making  love  and  making  a  life-long  engagement  are  dif 
ferent  things.  Sappha  is  not  engaged." 

"  Then  'tis  a  thousand  pities,  for  I  am  sure  she  is  mortally 
in  love  with  Leonard." 

"And  if  he  was  mortally  in  love  with  Sappha,  what  won 
der?  More  beautiful  every  day.  grows  Sapphira  Bloom- 
maert." 

"  That  is  because  she  is  in  love.  '  Love  makes  the  lover 
fair,'  "  and  she  began  to  hum  the  song. 

"  I  have  never  seen  love  any  change  make  in  you.  A  new 
dress  might,  but  -  " 

"  I  have  never  been  in  love.  A  new  dress  is  the  height  of 
my  affection.  However,  I  go  back  to  what  I  said  —  I  am 
sure  Sappha  and  Leonard  are  engaged." 

"  Was  some  one  telling  you  this  story?  " 

"  No.     I  told  the  story  to  myself." 

"  How  did  you  make  it  up?  " 

"  I  kept  my  eyes  open." 

"Well,  what  then?" 

"  I  saw  that  they  had  that  '  air  '  about  their  slightest  inter 
course  that  mere  experimental  lovers  never  dare.  I  mean 
that  sure  look  that  married  people  have.  Watch  them  and 
you  will  see  it." 

"  Watch,  I  shall  not.  See,  I  shall  not.  As  soon  as  there 
is  any  purpose  of  marriage  for  Sapphira  Bloommaert,  I  shall 
be  told  of  it  —  told  immediately.  If  I  was  not,  I  should 
never  forgive  the  slight,  —  never!  And  your  uncle  and  aunt 

95 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


know  it.  Can  you  find  nothing  pleasanter  about  the  dinner 
to  talk  of?  It  was  a  dinner  to  gladden  Dutch  hearts.  I 
helped  your  aunt  arrange  the  courses,  and  I  gave  her  many  of 
my  choice  receipts  for  the  dishes.  No  one  in  New  York  has 
such  fine  Hollandish  receipts  as  I  have,  except,  perhaps,  old 
Peter  Bogart,  the  biscuit  maker." 

"  I  know,  grandmother,  I  never  pass  his  shop  at  Broadway 
and  Cortlandt  Street  without  going  in  for  some  doughnuts. 
No  one  can  make  such  good-  ones;  and  how  far  back  he  looks 
in  his  smallclothes  and  long  stockings,  his  big  hat,  and  knee 
buckles,  and  shoe  buckles,  and  sleeve  buckles,  his  powdered 
hair  and  his  long  cue." 

"  Yes,  Peter  Bogart  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skaats  are  among 
the  few  Dutch  who  have  never  changed  with  changing  cus 
toms.  While  moving  with  the  city  and  the  times  they  have 
retained  their  picturesque  dress  and  household  life.  And  in 
all  New  York  no  one  is  more  respected  ;  no  one  more  inter 
esting  and  lovable  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skaats." 

"  I  never  saw  them  !  " 

"  I  am  sure  you  have  not." 

"Well,  then,  who  are  they?" 

"  Mr.  Skaats  is  custodian  of  the  City  Hall,  and  this  delight 
ful  old  couple  often  entertain  the  judges,  lawyers,  and  the 
councilmen  at  their  dinner  table;  on  which  is  always  found 
the  Hollandish  dishes  we  are  so  rapidly  forgetting.  Your 
uncle  occasionally  dines  with  them,  and  would  do  so  more 
frequently  if  his  own  home  was  not  so  convenient.  You 

96 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


must  ask  him  to  take  you  to  see  these  dear  old  Dutch  people  ; 
or  I  dare  say  Sappha  knows  them.  Soon  they  will  only  be 
a  pleasant  memory." 

"  I  do  not  need  to  go  and  see  the  Skaats  for  a  pleasant 
Dutch  memory.  There  is  no  finer  Dutchwoman  in  the 
world  than  my  grandmother,  Madame  Jonaca  Bloommaert." 

Madame  was  gratified  at  this  compliment,  and,  perhaps, 
in  order  to  return  the  pleasure,  or  else  for  the  sake  of  chang 
ing  the  subject,  she  said:  "  Mr.  St.  Ange  will  be  here  in 
the  morning  —  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary  to  warm  the 
best  parlour." 

"  No,  no,  grandmother.  Our  sitting-room  is  far  more  dis 
tinguished.  The  best  parlour  is  like  a  great  many  parlours  ; 
our  sitting-room  has  a  character  —  a  most  respectable  one.  I 
could  see  that  he  was  impressed  by  it.  I  dare  say  he  will 
soon  know  Sappha,  and  of  course  he  will  fall  in  love  with 
her,  and  then  there  will  be  some  interest  in  watching  how 
Leonard  Murray  will  like  that." 

"Well,  then,  keep  yourself  clear;  see,  and  hear,  and  say 
nothing;  that  is  wise." 

"  But  I  like  to  meddle  —  a  little  bit.  I  wonder  if  Leonard 
and  Sappha  are  really  engaged!  Leonard  might  have  come 
in  and  sat  an  hour  with  us;  I  expected  so  much  courtesy 
from  him.  But  no!  though  I  told  him  we  were  so  lonely 
in  the  evenings,  he  never  offered  to  spend  a  little  time  with 
us.  I  dare  say  he  returned  at  once  to  the  Bowling  Green.  I 
saw  him  say  a  word  or  two  to  Sappha  as  he  left,  and  she 

97 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


smiled  and  nodded,  and  I  am  very  sure  he  was  asking  her 
permission  to  return." 

"  Such  nonsense !  He  would  have  asked  your  aunt  that 
question." 

"  Oh,  the  question  is  nothing!  any  question  meant  the  same 
thing.  I  have  no  doubt  at  all,  Leonard  is  at  this  moment 
with  Sappha.  They  will  be  pretending  to  help  aunt  Carlita, 
but  then  helping  her  will  mean  pleasing  themselves." 

But  for  once  Annette's  sensibility,  though  so  selfishly 
acute,  was  not  correct.  Leonard  did  not  return  to  the 
Bowling  Green,  and  Sappha  was  disappointed  and  hurt  by 
his  failure  to  do  so.  For  an  hour  she  sat  with  her  mother 
before  the  fire,  expecting  every  moment  to  hear  his  footsteps. 
And  this  expectation  was  so  intense  that  she  was  frequently 
certain  of  their  approach — his  light  rapid  tread,  his  way  of 
mounting  the  steps  two  at  a  time — both  these  sounds  were 
repeated  again  and  again  upon  her  sensitive  ear  drum,  and 
yet  Leonard  came  not.  Alas,  what  heart-watcher  has  not 
been  tormented  by  these  spectral  promises  ?  for  the  ears  have 
their  phantoms  as  well  as  the  eyes.  At  last  she  reluctantly 
gave  up  hope,  and  as  she  lit  her  night  candle  she  said  in  a 
tone  of  affected  cheerfulness: 

"  I  suppose  Leonard  would  stay  an  hour  or  two  with 
grandmother  and  Annette." 

"  Why  should  you  suppose  such  a  thing  ?  I  am  sure  he 
never  thought  of  doing  so.  I  dare  say  he  went  with  Peter 
to  the  theatre." 

98 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


"  Grandmother  had  a  visitor  to-day  —  a  grandson  of  Mrs. 
Gaint-Ange." 

"  She  told  me  so." 

"  He  is  very  handsome,  Annette  says." 

"  Well,  then,  he  will,  perhaps,  find  work  for  idle  hearts 
to  do.  Your  grandmother  declares  Annette  shall  marry  a 
Dutchman.  But  when  I  was  a  girl  French  nobles  fleeing 
from  Robespierre  elbowed  one  another  on  Broadway,  and 
they  carried  off  most  of  the  rich  and  pretty  Dutch  maidens. 
A  Frenchman  is  a  great  temptation  ;  your  grandmother  will 
have  to  guard  her  determination,  or  she  may  be  disappointed." 

"  Good-night,  dear  mother.  I  will  help  you  in  the  morn 
ing  to  put  everything  straight." 

"  Good-night,  and  good  angels  give  you  good  dreams,  dear 
one." 

And  as  Sappha  put  down  her  candle  in  the  dim,  lonely 
room,  and  hastened  her  disrobing  because  of  the  cold,  she 
could  not  help  wondering  where  all  the  enthusiasms  of  the 
early  evening  were  gone  to  —  the  light,  the  warmth,  the  good 
cheer,  the  good  fellowship,  the  joy  of  song,  the  thrill  of  love. 
They  had  been  so  vividly  present  two  hours  ago,  and  now 
they  were  so  vividly  absent  that  the  tears  came  unbidden  to 
her  eyes,  and  she  had  an  overpowering  sense  of  discourage 
ment  and  defeat.  And  the  sting  of  this  inward  depression 
was  Leonard  Murray.  "  He  might  have  come  back  for  an 
hour!  He  might  have  com^!  and  he  did  not."  Murmur 
ing  this  sorrowful  complaint  she  went  into  the  land  of  sleep. 

99 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


And  in  that  world  of  the  soul  she  met  her  angel,  and  was 
so  counselled  and  strengthened  that  she  awoke  with  a  light 
heart  and  with  song  upon  her  lips  —  all  her  fret  and  lurking 
jealousy  turned  into  a  frank  confidence;  all  her  doubts 
changed  into  the  happiest  hopes.  And  as  every  one  has, 
more  or  less,  frequently  experienced  this  marvellous  com 
munion,  this  falling  on  sleep  angry,  disappointed,  dismayed, 
and  awakening  soothed,  satisfied,  encouraged,  there  is  no 
need  to  speculate  concerning  such  a  spiritual  transformation. 
Those  who  have  the  key  to  it  require  no  tutor;  those  who 
have  not  the  key  could  not  be  made  to  understand. 

Sappha  simply  and  cheerfully  accepted  the  change;  she 
was  even  able  to  see  where  she  had  been  unreasonable  in  her 
expectations  ;  her  whole  mood  was  softened  and  more  gener 
ous.  She  dressed  herself  and  went  down,  rosy  with  the  cold, 
and  her  father  found  her  standing  before  the  blazing  fire 
warming  her  feet  and  hands.  The  windows  were  white  with 
frost,  and  a  bugle  sounded  piercingly  sweet  in  the  cold,  clear 
air  ;  but  the  big  room  was  full  of  comfort  and  of  the  promise 
of  a  good  plentiful  meal. 

They  began  to  talk  at  once  about  the  dinner  party  of  the 
previous  evening,  and  Sappha  said  :  "  The  best  part  of  the 
whole  affair  was  grandmother.  I  think,  father,  that  she 
looked  about  twenty  years  old,  when  she  was  speaking.  How 
radiant  was  her  face!  How  sweet  her  voice!  How  proud 
I  am  to  be  her  granddaughter!  " 

And  this  acknowledgment  so  pleased  the  judge  that  he 
100 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


answered  :  "  I  shall  never  forget  her  countenance  as  she 
lifted  her  eyes  to  the  flags  above  the  mantlepiece  ;  her  glance 
took  in  both,  with  equal  affection  ;  the  red,  white,  and  blue  of 
the  Netherlands,  and  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  which  hung 
by  its  side.  And  let  me  tell  you,  Sappha,  I  liked  our  Chris 
topher's  song,  and  also  I  liked  the  music  Mr.  Murray  wrote 
for  it.  One  was  as  good  as  the  other.  Here  comes  mother, 
and  the  coffee,  and  how  delicious  the  meat  and  bread  smell! 
Mother  is  always  the  bringer  of  good  things.  Sit  here,  Sap 
pha,  it  is  warmer  than  your  own  place." 

During  breakfast  the  gathering  of  the  previous  evening 
was  more  fully  discussed  ;  and  in  speaking  of  madame  and 
Annette  Sapphira  made  mention  of  Mr.  St.  Ange,  who  had 
visited  them.  Somewhat  to  their  astonishment  the  judge 
said  he  had  heard  of  the  young  man  through  the  Livingstons, 
with  whom  he  had  had  some  business  transactions.  Mr. 
Edward  Livingston,  of  New  Orleans,  had  supplied  him  with 
introductions  to  some  of  the  best  New  York  families,  and  he 
thought  it  likely,  from  what  he  had  been  told,  that  Annette's 
description  of  his  beauty  and  excessive  gentility  was  not  more 
of  an  exaggeration  than  Annette's  usual  statements. 

"  You  have  been  told  things  about  him,  father.  Then  he 
has  been  in  New  York  more  than  two  days?  " 

"  He  has  been  here  about  two  weeks." 

"  Oh  !  I  understood  from  Annette  that  he  had  flown  to 
grandmother's  friendship  at  once.  She  spoke  as  if  they  were 
to  have  the  introducing  of  him  to  society  in  New  York." 

101 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"Well,  then,  they  can  do  a  great  deal  for  Mr.  St.  Ange  in 
that  way.  I  fancy  he  is  rather  popular  already  among  the 
Livingston  and  Clinton  set.  My  mother  can  give  him 
equally  fine  introductions  among  the  Dutch  aristocracy.  I 
believe  him  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  I  should  think  it  quite 
prudent  to  offer  him  any  courtesy  that  comes  in  your 
way.  " 

After  the  judge  had  left  home  the  two  women  continued 
the  conversation.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  certain  St.  Ange 
was  at  least  of  French  parentage.  "  His  name  is  one  of  the 
best  names  among  the  nobility  of  France,"  she  said.  "And 
if  he  is  truly  a  French  gentleman,  you  will  see  of  what  ex 
pression  that  word  '  gentleman  '  is  capable.  But  I  wish  not 
that  you  should  meet  him  through  Annette  —  her  airs  will  be 
insufferable.  I  think  it  possible  he  may  be  at  the  Girauds' 
ball  to-morrow  night.  There  you  would  meet  him  quite 
naturally.  It  is  strange  Josette  Giraud  did  not  name  him  to 
you  when  she  called  last  Monday." 

"  Josette  loves  my  brother  Peter.  Peter  has  her  whole 
heart.  There  would  not  be  room  for  the  finest  French 
gentleman  in  the  world  in  it." 

"  Josette  is  a  good  girl.  I  wish  much  that  Peter  would 
marry  her.  But  no,  Peter  thinks  only  of  ships." 

"  Oh,  you  don't  know,  mother  !  Peter  talks  about  ships, 
but  not  about  girls.  All  the  same  he  thinks  a  deal  about 
Josette  Giraud." 

"  Sometimes  I  fear  Annette.  I  have  seen  her!  She  makes 
1  02 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


eyes  at  Peter,  she  admires  him,  and  lets  him  see  it  —  and  men 
are  so  easily  captured." 

"  But  then,  Annette  does  not  want  to  capture  Peter.  She 
is  only  amusing  herself.  She  makes  eyes  at  all  good-looking 
young  men.  She  cannot  help  it." 

"  Your  grandmother  ought  not  to  allow  her  to  do  so." 

"  Poor  grandmother  I  She  does  not  know  it,  or  see  it.  Sf 
she  did,  she  could  as  easily  prevent  a  bird  from  singing  as 
keep  Annette  from  looking  lovely  things  out  of  her  beautiful 
eyes.  And  really,  mother,  she  intends  no  wrong.  How  can 
she  help  being  so  pretty  and  so  clever?  " 

"  Peter  could  have  taken  them  home  last  night  without 
the  assistance  of  Leonard  Murray  —  and  Leonard  wanted  to 
stay  a  while  here,  but  Annette  asked  him  with  one  of  those 
'  lovely  looks  '  to  walk  with  them,  and  Leonard  never  once 
objected." 

"How  could  he?" 

"And  this  morning  she  will  have  no  recollection  of  either 
Peter  or  Leonard.  She  will  be  busy  with  the  conquest  of  this 
Mr.  St.  Ange." 

"  If  so,  Mr.  St.  Ange  will  soon  be  her  captive.  I  shall 
think  no  worse  of  him  for  a  ready  submission.  '  Honour  to 
the  vanquished  \  '  was  a  favourite  device  of  the  knights  of  the 
olden  times." 

Mrs.  Bloommaert  was,  however,  a  little  out  of  her  calcula 
tion.  So  was  Annette.  Both  had  been  sure  St.  Ange  would 
avail  himself  of  the  earliest  possible  hour  in  which  a  call 

103 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


could  be  politely  possible;  and  Annette,  somewhat  to  her 
grandmother's  amusement,  had  dressed  herself  in  the  fas 
cinating  little  Dutch  costume  she  had  worn  at  a  St.  Nicholas 
festival.  She  said  she  had  done  so  because  it  was  so  warm 
and  comfortable  for  a  cold  morning;  and  she  smoothed  the 
quilted  silk  petticoat  and  the  cloth  jacket  down,  and  made 
little  explanations  about  them  and  the  vest  of  white  em 
broidery,  which  neither  deceived  madame  nor  herself.  Her 
fair  hair  was  in  two  long  braids,  tied  with  blue  ribbons  ;  her 
short  petticoat  revealed  her  small  feet  dressed  in  grey  stock 
ings  clocked  with  orange;  and  high-heeled  shoes  fastened 
with  silver  latchets.  She  was  picturesque  and  very  pretty, 
and  armed  from  head  to  feet  for  conquest.  But,  alas!  St. 
Ange  came  not.  In  fact  he  was  comfortably  sleeping  while 
she  was  watching;  and  it  was  not  until  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  he  made  the  promised  visit.  He  had  beep  dining 
at  Mr.  Grinnel's  the  previous  evening,  and  had  afterwards 
gone  to  the  theatre  with  a  large  party.  And  he  lamented 
with  an  almost  womanly  plaintiveness  the  bitter  cold,  that, 
for  him,  spoiled  every  entertainment.  The  theatre,  he  said, 
was  at  freezing  point;  and  how  the  ladies  endured  the  tem 
perature  in  their  evening  gowns  was  to  him  a  marvel.  Then 
he  looked  round  madame's  fine  old  room  with  its  solid  oak, 
and  massive  silver,  its  curtained  windows,  thick  carpet, 
plentiful  bearskin  rugs,  and  huge  blazing  fire,  and  said  with  a 
happy  sigh:  "  It  was  the  only  room  fit  to  live  in  that  he 
had  seen  in  New  York.  Handsome  rooms!  oh,  yes, 

104 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


very  handsome  rooms  he  had  seen,  but  all  cold,  killing 
cold!" 

Madame  reminded  him  that  New  York  and  Lousiania 
were  in  different  latitudes  ;  and  Annette  found  him  the  most 
cosey  chair  in  the  warmest  corner,  and  the  general  warmth 
and  sympathy  was  soon  effectual.  Complaint  was  changed 
for  admiration,  and  as  the  day  waned,  and  the  firelight  made 
itself  more  and  more  impressive,  his  conversation  lost  its 
business  and  social  character,  and  became  personal  and  rem 
iniscent. 

Madame  asked  him  if  he  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  and 
at  the  question  his  eyes  flashed  like  living  furnaces  filled  with 
flame. 

"  But  no,"  he  answered.  "  No,  no  !  I  was  born  in  that 
island  that  God  made  like  Paradise,  and  negroes  have  made 
like  hell.  Near  the  town  of  Cayes  I  was  born,  in  a  vast  stone 
mansion  standing  on  a  terrace  and  shaded  by  stately  palms. 
Six  terraces  led  from  it  to  the  ocean,  and  marble  steps  led 
from  one  terrace  to  another.  My  father  had  left  France 
very  early  in  the  reign  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth,  and  I  have 
heard  that  even  at  that  time  he  had  a  positive  prescience  of 
the  horrors  of  the  coming  revolution.  However,  without 
this  incentive  he  would  have  made  the  emigration;  for  he 
had  fallen  heir  to  immense  hereditary  estates  in  Hayti,  which 
had  been  in  the  possession  of  our  family  from  the  time  of 
Columbus.  Here  he  cultivated  the  cane,  introducing  it  him 
self  from  the  West  Indies  ;  and  he  also  exported  great  quanti- 

105 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


ties  of  mahogany,  and  of  that  beautiful  wood  which  is  frag 
rant  in  its  native  forests  as  the  sweetest  of  roses.  There 
were  many  slaves  on  the  estate,  who  lived  in  a  little  village  of 
their  own,  about  a  mile  away  from  the  house.  During  the 
awful  insurrection  of  1791  my  father  defended  his  mansion, 
and  as  he  had  great  influence  with  the  blacks  he  was  not 
seriously  interfered  with;  but  he  was  never  afterwards 
happy.  He  foresaw  that  the  continual  fighting  between  the 
blacks  and  the  mulattoes  must  finally  drive  all  white  people 
from  the  island,  and  he  prepared  for  this  emergency  by  send 
ing  to  New  Orleans  at  every  opportunity  all  the  money  he 
could  spare.  In  1803  the  long  years  of  continual  horrors 
culminated,  and  the  United  States  having  bought  Louisiania, 
my  father  resolved  to  remove  there  at  once.  A  British  frig 
ate  was  in  the  harbour  of  Cayes  at  the  time,  and  arrange 
ments  were  made  with  the  captain  for  our  immediate  removal. 
I  was  then  of  fourteen  years,  and  I  knew  only  too  well  the 
demoniac  character  of  these  insurrections.  This  one  also 
was  likely  to  be  especially  cruel,  owing  to  the  presence  of 
French  troops  sent  by  Napoleon  to  subjugate  the  blacks. 
Secretly  I  assisted  my  father  to  carry  to  the  ship  the  money, 
jewels,  and  papers  we  intended  to  take  with  us,  but  ere  this 
duty  was  quite  accomplished  we  saw  that  there  was  no  time 
to  lose.  With  anxious  hearts  we  watched  the  ship  sail  north 
ward,  but  this  movement  was  only  a  feint.  We  knew 
that  about  midnight  she  would  return  to  the  appointed  place 
for  us. 

106 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


"  Sick  with  many  fears  we  watched  for  the  setting  of  the 
sun.  It  had  been  a  hot,  suffocating  day,  and  every  hour  of  it 
had  indicated  a  fierce,  and  still  more  fierce,  gathering  of  the 
combatants.  Hellish  cries,  and  shouts  to  the  beating  of 
drums,  and  the  wild  chanting  of  the  Obeah  priests  had  filled 
the  daylight  with  unspeakable  terrors.  But  when  the  sun 
sank,  suddenly  a  preternatural  calm  followed.  Mysterious 
lights  were  seen  in  the  thick  woods,  howlings  and  cries,  hor 
rible  and  inhuman,  came  out  of  its  dense  darkness.  Abomin 
able  sacrifices  were  being  offered  to  the  demon  they  wor 
shipped,  and  we  knew  that  as  soon  as  these  rites  were  over 
indiscriminate  slaughter  and  devilish  cruelties  would  begin. 
My  mother  had  my  little  sister  in  her  arms,  and  I  went  with 
her  through  the  forest  to  the  seaside.  She  reached  our  meet 
ing  place  by  one  exit,  I  by  another  ;  for  we  were  suspiciously 
watched,  and  durst  not  leave  the  house  in  a  body.  My  father 
and  my  two  eldest  brothers  were  to  join  us  by  different 
routes. 

"  That  awful  walk  !  That  enchanted  walk  through  the 
hot,  thick  forest!  I  shall  never  forget  it  in  this  life  or 
the  next  —  I  shall  never  forget  it!  Even  the  insects  were 
voiceless,  and  the  huge  serpents  lay  prone  in  spellbound  still 
ness.  We  had  not  reached  the  sea  before  a  terrific  thunder 
storm  broke  over  us.  Then  the  glare  and  gloom  made  each 
other  more  awful  ;  the  black  sky  was  torn  by  such  lightning 
as  you  have  no  conception  of;  and  in  the  midst  of  natural 
terrors  no  one  can  describe  the  blacks  held  a  carnival  of  out- 

JO7 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


rage  and  death  in  every  conceivable  form  of  hellish  cruelty 
that  Obeah  could  devise. 

"  Nearly  dead  with  fatigue  and  fright  my  mother  reached 
the  little  cove  where  the  ship  was  to  meet  us,  and  there  we 
waited  in  an  agony  of  terror  for  the  arrival  of  my  father  and 
brothers.  They  came  not.  And  if  the  ship  was  noticed 
lying  near  we  should  be  discovered.  I  walked  back  as  far 
as  I  durst,  looking  for  any  trace  of  them.  My  mother  lay 
upon  the  sand  praying.  My  little  sister  slept  at  her  side.  In 
that  hour  childhood  left  me  forever.  In  that  hour  I  learned 
how  much  one  may  suffer,  and  yet  not  die.  Daylight  began 
to  appear,  and  the  ship  was  about  half  a  mile  from  the  land. 
Then  I  called, — not  with  the  voice  I  am  now  using, — but 
with  some  far  mightier  force,  'Father!  Father!'  And  at 
that  moment  he  appeared,  pushing  his  way  through  the  green 
tangle.  And  his  face  was  whiter  than  death,  because  it  was 
full  of  horror  and  agony,  which  the  face  of  death  very 
rarely  is. 

"  He  could  not  speak.  He  made  motions  to  me  to  signal 
the  ship,  which  I  instantly  did.  It  was  not  many  minutes  till 
we  saw  our  signal  answered  and  a  little  boat  coming  quickly 
toward  us.  But  my  father  quivered  with  anxiety,  and  he  said, 
afterwards,  they  were  the  most  awful  moments  of  his  exist 
ence.  For  he  knew  there  was  a  party  of  negroes  in  pursuit, 
and,  indeed,  we  were  just  getting  into  the  boat  when  we 
heard  them  crashing  through  the  underwood.  My  mother 
had  said  only  two  words,  '  August !  Victor ! '  and  my 

108 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


father  had  answered  only,  '  Dead.'  Then  the  sailors  pulled 
with  all  their  strength  to  escape  the  bullets  that  followed  us; 
but  one  struck  and  killed  the  babe  in  my  mother's  arms,  and 
another  fatally  wounded  a  man  at  one  of  the  oars.  He  fell, 
and  my  father  took  his  place." 

Annette  was  watching  St.  Ange  like  one  fascinated;  her 
blue  eyes  were  wide  open,  her  face  terror-stricken,  her  little 
form  all  a-tremble.  Madame  had  covered  her  face,  but 
when  Achille  ceased  speaking  she  stretched  out  her  hand  to 
him,  and  for  a  few  moments  there  was  an  intense  passionful 
silence.  Madame  broke  it. 

"  You  reached  New  Orleans  safely?  " 

"  It  was  a  hard  journey.  The  captain  had  taken  on  a 
great  number  of  the  fugitives,  and  he  waited  around  the 
island  for  two  days,  rescuing  many  more  who  had  trusted  to.. 
the  mercy  of  the  sea  rather  than  dare  the  bloody  riot  on  land  ; 
so  that  we  were  much  overcrowded  and  soon  suffering  for 
food  and  water.  Fever  followed,  and  when  we  reached 
New  Orleans  we  were  in  a  pitiable  plight.  My  mother  did 
not  recover  from  this  experience.  She  never  asked  further 
about  my  brothers,  and  my  father  would  not  have  told  her 
the  truth,  if  she  had  asked.  '  They  are  dead  !  They  died 
like  heroes  !  '  That  was  all  my  father  ever  told  me.  It  was 
all  that  I  wished  to  know. 

"  On  Bayou  Teche  we  bought  a  plantation,  and  began 
again  the  cultivation  of  the  cane,  but  mother  died  visibly,  day 
by  day,  and  within  six  weeks  we  buried  her  under  the  waving 

109 


banners  of  the  grey  moss  that  hung  so  mournfully  from  the 
live  oaks,  that  January  morning.  As  to  my  father,  he  was 
never  again  the  same.  He  had  been  a  very  joyous  man,  but 
he  smiled  no  more,  and  he  fretted  continually  over  the  loss  of 
his  family  and  his  beautiful  home  in  Hayti.  For  some  years 
we  were  all  in  all  to  each  other,  and  he  laboured  hard  to 
bring  our  new  plantation  into  a  fine  condition.  Then  he, 
too,  left  me,  and  the  place  was  hateful  in  my  sight.  I  wished 
to  escape  forever  from  the  sight  of  negroes.  I  feared  them, 
even  in  my  sleep.  Had  not  those  who  had  shared  our  food, 
and  games,  and  constant  society  slain  with  fiendish  delight 
my  poor  brothers  and  my  only  sister?  I  was  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Edward  Livingston,  a  lawyer  in  New  Orleans,  and  who 
himself  had  married  a  beautiful  refugee  from  the  great 
Haitian  insurrection,  and  he  advised  me  not  to  sell  my  planta 
tion,  as  in  view  of  the  war  I  could  not  get  its  value.  I  would 
not  listen  to  him — a  simpler  life  with  the  black  cloud  re 
moved  seemed  to  me  the  only  thing  I  desired.  But  no,  I 
have  not  here  escaped  it.  What  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  The  blacks  in  New  York  are  mostly  free,  and  they  are 
comparatively  few  in  number,"  said  madame. 

"  Few  in  number — that  is  some  security.  But  now,  I  must 
tell  you,  that  this  summer,  on  the  very  night  that  there  was  a 
great  volcanic  eruption  from  the  burning  heart  of  St.  Vincent, 
there  was  another  massacre.  Amid  the  roaring  darkness, 
the  intolerable  heat,  the  rain  of  ashes,  the  stench  of  sulphur, 
and  the  stygian  horror  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  the  blacks, 

no 


'  THE    CAPTAIN      .       .       .       WAITED  AROUND  THE  ISLAND  FOR   TWO 

DAYS,   RESCUING  MANY  MORE  WHO  HAD  TRUSTED 

TO    THE    MERCY    OF   THE    SEA." 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


made  frantic  by  their  terror,  and  led  by  the  priests  of  Obeah, 
fell  upon  the  whites  indiscriminately.  They  fled  to  the  ships 
in  the  harbour — to  the  sea — anywhere,  anywhere,  from  those 
huge  animal  natures  whose  eyes  were  flaming  with  rage,  and 
whose  souls  were  without  pity.  Nearly  one  hundred  of 
these  fugitives  finally  reached  Norfolk  and  Virginia.  Some 
had  been  warned  either  by  their  own  souls,  or  by  friends,  and 
had  money  and  jewels  with  them;  others  were  quite  desti 
tute;  many  were  sick,  and  their  condition  wras  pitiable.  ,  All 
desired  to  reach  the  French  settlements  in  Louisiana,  but 
transit  by  water  was  most  uncertain,  nearly  all  the  usual 
shipping  being  employed  in  the  more  congenial  business  of 
privateering.  Then,  in  the  midst  of  their  distress,  comes 
into  port  one  day  Captain  Christopher  Bloommaert.  He 
had  with  him  a  fine  English  frigate,  the  prize  of  his  skill 
and  valour.  And  when  he  understood  the  case  of  these  poor 
souls,  he  called  his  men  together  and  proposed  to  them  the 
God-like  voyage  of  carrying  the  miserables  to  New  Orleans. 
'  'Tis  but  a  little  way  out  of  our  purposed  course,'  he  said, 
'  and  who  knows  on  what  tack  good  fortune  may  meet  us?  ' 
And  the  men  answered  with  a  shout  of  ready  assent,  and  so 
they  finally  reached  New  Orleans.  I  saw  them  land.  Many 
of  them  were  old  friends  of  my  family,  and  I  heard  such 
stories  from  their  lips  as  make  men  mad.  One  old  planter, 
who  had  money  with  him,  bought  my  estate,  and  took  those 
with  him  to  its  shelter  who  had  neither  money  nor  friends. 
Their  kindness  to  each  other  was  wonderful.  As  for  me,  I 

in 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


hastened  away  from  scenes  that  had  cast  a  pall  over  all  my 
life.  Yet  I  forget  not;  to  forget  would  be  an  impossible 
mercy." 

Then  madame  talked  comfortably  to  the  young  man,  and 
after  a  while  tea  was  brought  in,  and  Annette,  grave  and 
silent  for  once,  made  it;  and  quietly  watched,  and  listened, 
and  served.  St.  Ange  liked  her  better  in  this  mood.  The 
other  Annette,  with  her  little  coquetries,  had  not  pleased  him 
half  so  well.  When  he  left  she  understood  that  she  had 
gained  favour  in  his  eyes;  he  kissed  her  hand  with  an  en 
thralling  grace  and  respect  —  or,  at  least,  Annette  found  it 
so.  And  that  night,  though  she  felt  certain  Leonard  Mur 
ray  was  singing  the  new  songs  with  Sappha,  she  told  herself 
that  she  "  did  not  care  if  he  was.  Achille  was  twice  as  in 
teresting;  he  was,  indeed,  a  romantic,  a  tragic  hero  —  and 
very  nearly  a  lover.  And  he  was  so  captivating,  so  unusually 
handsome  !  "  She  went  over  the  rather  long  list  of  young 
men  with  whom  she  was  friendly,  and  positively  assured  her 
self  that  all  were  commonplace  compared  with  this  wonder 
ful  Achille.  And,  to  be  sure,  his  small  but  elegant  figure, 
his  pale  passionate  face,  set  in  those  straight  black  locks,  his 
caressing  voice,  his  subtle  smile,  his  gentle  pressure  of  the 
hand  —  all  these  charms  were  not  the  prominent  ones  of  the 
practical,  business-like  young  men  with  whom  she  was  most 
familiar. 

After  St.  Ange's  departure  madame  sat  silent  for  some 
time,  and  Annette  watched  her  with  a  strange  speculation  in 

112 


INTRODUCES    MR.    ST.    ANGE 


her  mind — did  people  really  keep  their  emotions  fresh  when 
they  were  three-score  and  ten  years  old?  Her  grandmother 
had  seemed  to  feel  all  that  she  had  felt.  Her  hands,  her  feet, 
her  whole  figure  had  revealed  strong  sensation,  her  eyes  been 
tender  with  sympathy  and  keen  with  anger ;  her  interest  had 
never  flagged.  In  passionate  sensibility  had  twenty  years 
no  superiority  over  seventy  years?  Patience,  Annette! 
Time  will  tell  you  the  secret.  Oh,  the  soul  keeps  its  youth ! 

She  considered  this  question,  however,  until  it  wearied 
her,  and  then  she  asked  abruptly:  "  Grandmother,  of  what 
are  you  dreaming?  " 

"  Mr.  St.  Ange.  I  was  recalling  the  day  on  which  his 
grandfather  carried  off  to  France  pretty  Gertrude  Bergen. 
She  went  to  France  and  died  in  Haiti,  and  now  her  grand 
son  is  driven  back  by  events  he  cannot  control  to  New  York." 

"  Where  he  will  probably  marry  some  other  pretty  Dutch 
maiden." 

"  And  small  heed  we  take  of  such  things ;  we  even  count 
them  of  chance;  yet,  how  often  that  which  flowers  to-day 
grows  from  very  old  roots." 

"  Grandmother,  I  want  two  new  dresses.  Can  I  have 
them?" 

"  Stuffs  of  every  kind  are  very  dear,  Annette." 

"  Only  two,  grandmother." 

"  And  Madame  Lafarge's  charges  for  making  dresses  are 
extravagant — the  making  is  the  worst." 

"  It  has  to  be  done,  grandmother." 


"  Yes — but  if  you  will  turn  to  your  Bible,  Annette,  you 
will  find  that  the  woman  whose  'price  was  above  rubies ' 
made  her  own  dresses."* 

"  Indeed,  grandmother,  you  need  only  glance  at  any  pic 
ture  of  a  Bible  woman  to  see  that.  Dresses  without  shape, 
without  style — and  as  for  the  fit! "  And  Annette  could 
only  explain  the  enormity  of  the  fit  by  throwing  up  her 
hands  in  expressive  silence. 

"  If  you  get  the  dresses,  then  a  new  bonnet  will  be 
wanted." 

"Yes,  a  bonnet  would  be  a  necessity;  also  some  of  those 
sweet  furs  that  come  from  South  America — so  soft  and 
grey  are  they.  Oh,  the  ugliest  woman  looks  pretty  in  them !  " 

"  You  are  extortionate,  Annette." 

"  Grandmother,  I  have  not  yet  asked  for  a  grand  piano." 

Then  madame  laughed.  And  Annette  laid  her  soft 
cheek  against  madame  and  kissed  her  good-night.  But 
though  she  walked  delicately  and  almost  on  tip-toes  to  her 
own  room,  there  was  an  air  of  triumph  in  the  poise  of  her 
pretty  head.  She  set  the  candle  down  by  the  mirror  and 
looked  complaisantly  at  herself. 

"  I  shall  get  what  I  want,"  she  said  softly.  "  I  always  do." 
*  Proverbs  xxxi.  22. 


114 


CHAPTER 
FIVE 


A  Chain  of  Causes 


TJr-  : 

I 

=aic=c 

-     s 

—  ion 

T  had  been  a  stirring  summer  in  New  York, 
and  the  year  was  now  closing  with  a  re 
markable  month.  For  October  had  been 
signalised  by  two  naval  victories,  the  British 
j&Bwar  frigate  Frolic  having  been  captured  by 
Captain  Jones,  and  the  Macedonian  by  Commodore  Decatur, 
and  as  the  successful  commanders  were  expected  in  New 
York  during  December,  great  preparations  were  being  made 
for  their  entertainment,  the  more  so,  as  Captain  Hull,  the 
hero  of  the  Constitution,  would  also  be  present. 

Considering  these  things,  Annette's  request  for  two  new 
gowns  was  a  modest  one ;  yet  so  many  women  were  just  then 
acquiring  new  gowns  that  it  was  with  difficulty  she  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  hers  ready  for  Christmas  Day.  Achille 
had  helped  her  to  select  her  ball  dress,  and  it  was  so  lovely 
that  she  felt  no  fear  of  being  on  this  occasion  eclipsed  by 
Sappha's  gayer  garments.  That  Achille  had  been  consulted 
in  its  selection  need  not  imply  more  than  a  rather  intimate 
friendship;  for  the  young  man  had  become  a  familiar  friend 
of  a  great  many  families.  His  sad  history,  his  unusual 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

OM«=3»0««S^OC«s=S>MO«=SE>!)00«=^s>l»»<=:^3»Oa9«==>Oai)«=::S^OO>«£S=>OD3<^^3><iC-=SZ^»»C'r^:s-M) 

beauty  and  grace,  his  many  social  accomplishments,  and  his 
faultless  manners  and  dress,  had  given  him  almost  by  ac 
clamation  a  very  prominent  position  in  the  fashionable  cir 
cles  of  New  York.  The  Dutch  claimed  him  on  his  mother's 
side,  the  French  on  his  father's,  and  New  Yorkers  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  of  choice  elected  to  become  a  citizen  of 
New  York.  No  gathering  was  considered  complete  without 
his  presence ;  the  most  select  clubs  sought  his  association ;  and 
among  those  men  who  loved  fine  horses  and  skilful  fencing, 
he  was  acknowledged  an  incomparable  judge  and  master. 

But  though  he  accepted  this  homage,  he  did  not  seek  it; 
nor  did  it  seem  to  afford  him  much  pleasure.  Those  most 
familiar  with  his  habits  knew  that  he  very  much  preferred 
the  society  of  the  Friendly  Club,  which  met  in  the  parlour  of 
Dr.  Smith's  house  in  Pine  Street.  Here,  with  young  Wash 
ington  Irving,  Charles  Brockden  Brown,  and  other  literary 
and  learned  men,  he  passed  the  hours  that  pleased  him  most. 
Nor  was  this  his  only  social  peculiarity.  He  formed  a  close 
friendship  with  the  exile  Aguste  Louis  de  Singeron,  the  most 
famous  pastry  cook  and  confectioner  in  New  York;  also  an 
ex-courtier  and  ex-warrior  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth:  a  little 
man  of  the  most  undaunted  spirit,  chivalrous  and  courteous, 
at  once  the  most  polite  and  the  most  passionate  of  men. 
Every  day  St.  Ange  might  be  found  sitting  in  De  Singeron's 
neat  little  shop  on  William  Street.  Sometimes  their  conver 
sation  seemed  to  be  sufficient  for  their  entertainment;  some 
times  a  chess  board  lay  on  the  narrow  counter  between  them. 

116 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


Fine  ladies  passed  in  and  out,  but  St.  Ange  was  never  dis 
turbed  by  their  advent;  and  if  a  game  was  in  progress  no 
smiling  invitation  allured  him  to  leave  it  unfinished.  It  will 
be  seen  then,  that  in  spite  of  his  gentle  air  and  suave  manners, 
he  had  a  will  sufficiently  strong  to  insure  him  his  own  way. 

His  intercourse  with  the  two  Bloommaert  families  was, 
however,  the  most  important  of  all  his  life's  engagements. 
With  other  families  he  had  frequent,  but  casual  and  inter 
mittent,  meetings ;  he  was  at  the  close  of  this  year  in  one  or 
other  of  the  Bloommaert  households  every  day.  With 
Madame  Jonaca  he  had  formed  a  most  affectionate  alliance; 
he  asked  her  counsel,  and  followed  it;  he  told  her  all  the 
pleasant  news  of  that  society  which  she  still  loved;  he  took 
her  frequently  out  in  his  sleigh  that  she  might  see  any  unusual 
parade  of  the  troops  or  militia;  he  brought  her  all  the  news 
papers,  and  delighted  himself  and  madame — as  well  as 
Annette — by  reading  aloud  the  numerous  passages  he  had 
marked  in  them,  as  likely  to  interest  both  women.  He  came 
in  when  he  was  cold,  to  be  warmed  in  Madame's  cosey  par 
lour  ;  when  he  was  lonely  he  went  there  for  company ;  when 
he  was  sad  for  comfort. 

In  the  Bowling  Green  home  he  had  a  footing  quite  as 
sure,  though  on  a  different  foundation.  In  this  family  it 
was  the  judge  who  favoured  him  above  all  others.  If  St. 
Ange  came  into  the  room  his  face  brightened,  he  put  aside 
the  paper  or  pamphlet  he  was  reading,  and  turned  to  the 
young  man  for  conversation.  He  went  with  him  to  Dr. 

117 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Smith's  Club,  and  said  it  was  the  only  sensible  club  he  had 
ever  visited.  If  the  day  was  mild  the  two  men  took  a  brisk 
walk  together  on  the  Battery,  and  talked  politics  or  science, 
and  sometimes  law,  if  the  judge  was  engaged  with  any  very 
interesting  case;  and  if  all  these  sources  of  intercourse  were 
too  few,  out  came  the  chess  board,  and  in  silent  moves  and 
monosyllabled  conversation  the  evening  passed  away. 

His  relations  with  Mrs.  Bloommaert  and  Sappha  were 
equally  friendly  and  familiar.  Very  early  in  his  visits  to 
the  Bowling  Green  house  he  had  assured  himself  that  the 
lovely  Sappha  had  no  heart  to  give  —  that  she  was  entirely 
devoted  to  his  friend  Leonard  Murray.  This  conviction 
had  at  first  given  him  a  pang,  for  not  only  Sappha's  beauty, 
but  her  beautiful  disposition,  had  moved  him  to  an  admira 
tion  he  had  never  before  felt  ;  and  he  had  told  himself  that 
to  win  such  an  angel  for  his  wife,  with  the  entry  into  such  a 
perfect  home,  and  the  alliance  of  characters  so  lovable  as 
Judge  Bloommaert  and  Sappha's  mother,  would  be  as  much 
of  heaven  on  earth  as  any  man  could  hope  to  receive. 

For  a  week  he  had  nursed  this  charming  illusion,  then 
something  happened  —  a  look,  a  movement,  a  passing  touch 
or  whisper  —  one,  or  all  of  these  things  opened  his  eyes;  he 
felt  convinced  that  Leonard  had  some  certain  right  that  he 
could  not  honourably  infringe  upon  —  and  honour  was  the 
first,  the  dominating,  sentiment  that  moved  Achille's  thoughts 
and  words  and  deeds.  All  was  not  fair  in  love  to  Achille 
St.  Ange;  so  he  deliberately  put  down  his  love  for  Sappha; 

118 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


denied  it  perpetually  to  his  craving  heart;  and  taught  him 
self  to  look  upon  her  as  his  friend's  beloved  and  his  own 
friend  and  sister. 

As  a  general  thing  Leonard  understood  this,  though  there 
had  never  been  a  word  uttered  between  them  regarding 
Sappha.  Leonard  was  immersed  in  business  of  various 
kinds,  but  he  quickly  satisfied  himself  that  he  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  St.  Ange's  admiration  of  Sappha.  The  three 
were  often  together  in  the  evenings,  and  nearly  as  often 
Annette  made  the  fourth.  Music,  conversation,  occasionally 
an  informal  cotillion,  reading  aloud,  or  recitations  passed  the 
happy  hours,  while  the  judge  listened,  watched,  corrected,  or 
advised,  and  Mrs.  Bloommaert  moved  through  all  their  en 
tertainments,  smiling  the  blessing  of  innocent  happiness  upon 
them. 

The  first  shadow  on  this  charming  companionship  fell 
about  Christmas.  It  came  in  the  form  of  a  suspicion,  not  of 
Sappha's  love,  but  of  the  judge's  simple  good-will.  He  had 
never  pretended  any  friendship  for  Leonard,  but  during  the 
past  month  he  had  treated  him  with  a  civility  that  left  no 
cause  for  offence.  Suddenly  one  evening  Leonard  became 
possessed  with  the  idea  that  the  judge's  demonstrative  liking 
for  St.  Ange  was  not  as  real  as  it  appeared;  that,  in  fact,  it 
was  a  liking  affected  in  a  great  measure  for  the  purpose  of 
making  him  feel  the  real  indifference  of  his  own  treatment. 
He  could  hardly  tell  what  circumstance  had  evoked  this 
suspicion,  but  when  he  began  to  ponder  the  idea  it  grew  to 

119 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


undreamed  of  proportions.  He  sat  up  nearly  all  night,  busy 
with  this  profitless  and  miserable  consideration,  and  memory 
brought  him  one  proof  after  another  to  pillar  his  suspicion. 
And  the  conclusion  of  the  matter  was  that  Sappha's  father 
wished  her  to  marry  St.  Ange,  and  that  in  such  case,  even  if 
the  war  was  over  before  three  years  had  passed,  it  would  be 
in  the  power  of  the  judge  to  forbid  their  marriage,  as 
Sappha  would  not  be  of  age  for  nearly  three  years.  Then, 
when  Sappha  was  of  age,  would  she  marry  him  without  her 
father's  consent?  It  was  doubtful.  Then  again,  might  not 
three  years  more  of  antagonism,  showing  itself  in  every  little 
daily  household  event  or  pleasure,  wear  out  the  tenderest, 
truest  love?  In  this  restless,  suspicious  temper  he  told  him 
self  that  it  was  almost  certain  to  do  so.  \  The  fate  of  love  is, 
that  it  always  sees  too  little  or  too  much.  \  All  true  lovers 
have  this  madness,  this  enchantment,  where  the  reason  seems 
bound.  For  in  love  there  is  no  prudence  that  can  help  a 
man,  no  reason  that  can  assist  him,  and  none  that  he  would 
have.  He  prefers  the  madness  which  convinces  him  his  love 
is  more  than  common  love.  Let  vulgar  love  know  modera 
tion,  he  loves  out  of  all  reason,  and  finds  his  wretchedness 
pleasing. 

Now  jealousy  is  only  good  when  she  torments  herself, 
and  Leonard,  sitting  up  and  losing  sleep  to  indulge  her,  de 
served  the  restless  pain  which  he  evoked.  It  troubled  him  so 
effectually  the  following  day  that  he  found  it  difficult  to 
perform  the  work  he  had  so  enthusiastically  undertaken — 

1 2O 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


that  of  assisting  in  the  decorations  at  the  City  Hall  for  the 
great  naval  ball  to  be  given  to  the  officers  of  the  war  frigates 
in  New  York  on  New  Year's  Eve.  He  was  impatient  for 
night  to  come;  then  he  would  go  to  Judge  Bloommaert's 
again  and  take  good  heed  of  every  look  and  word,  and  so 
resolve  the  question  that  so  much  troubled  him. 

Well,  we  generally  get  the  evil  we  expect,  and  so  Leonard 
was  not  disappointed.  There  had  been,  as  it  happened,  a 
slightly  ruffled  conversation  during  the  evening  meal,  about 
an  invitation  just  received  from  St.  Ange.  He  had  taken  a 
box  at  the  Park  Theatre,  and  Madame  Bloommaert  had 
promised  to  go  under  his  escort  to  see  the  final  representa 
tion  of  the  capture  of  the  Macedonian  by  the  United  States. 
There  was  to  be  also  a  patriotic  sketch  and  a  farce  called 
"  Right  and  Wrong."  The  polite  little  note  added  that 
there  was  plenty  of  room  in  the  box  for  the  judge  and  for 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Bloommaert,  and  begged  them  to  accept  its 
convenience. 

The  judge  said  "  he  would  not  go."  He  furthermore 
said,  "  he  did  not  like  his  mother  being  seen  so  much  with 
that  young  Frenchman;  people  would  make  remarks  about 
it." 

"Gerardus!" 

"  Just  as  if  she  had  no  son,  or  grandson,  to  take  her  to 
see  things," 

"  You  never  do  take  her  anywhere  but  to  church,  Ger 
ardus  ;  and  as  for  Peter,  I  do  not  suppose  he  ever  remembers 

121 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

ooO"^^»M'<==>o««^:=>oco<=s>«(io<^s»«co<as=otiO'3^=>«oo<^^3CCO«2s='«co<^s-i><)»<s^=>i)9<5^»«c(i 

her;  he  trusts  to  you  and  you  to  him.  I  am  sure  St.  Ange 
has  given  her  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  that  she  would  not 
have  had  from  you  or  Peter." 

"  I  do  not  approve  of  Christmas  kept  in  theatres  and  such 
places.  What  would  your  father  say,  Carlita,  about  going  to 
the  theatre  on  Christmas  night?  We  have  always  kept 
Christmas  at  church,  and  as  a  religious  festival." 

"  This  is  a  different  Christmas.  It  is  a  patriotic  festival, 
as  well  as  a  religious  one,  this  year.  Mother  naturally 
wants  to  see  the  sailors  and  the  battle  transparency,  and  hear 
the  songs  and  feel  the  throbbing  of  the  great  heart  of  the 
city.  You  ought  to  go  with  her." 

"  Who  taught  you  to  say  '  ought '  to  me,  Carlita?  " 

"  My  heart  and  my  conscience." 

"  Well,  if  you  get  behind  your  conscience,  I  am  dumb. 
Go  with  mother — if  you  wish." 

"  No.  Mr.  St.  Ange  goes  with  her.  You  must  go  with 
Sappha  and  I,  or " 

"  I  am  busy.     I  cannot  go." 

"  I  am  sorry.     I  must  ask  Leonard  Murray  then." 

"  Oh,  what  diplomats  women  are!  I  suppose  I  must  go, 
but  I  do  wish  Mr.  St.  Ange  would  be  less  attentive  to  my 
family." 

"  He  may  yet  be  more  so.  Annette  considers  herself 
as " 

"  There,  there,  wife !  Don't  say  it,  and  then  you  will 
not  have  to  unsay  it." 

122 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


This  refusal  to  listen  to  Annette's  considerations  put  a 
stop  to  the  discussion.  The  judge  took  a  book  of  travels  and 
affected  to  be  lost  in  its  matter  and  marvels,  and  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  found  it  impossible  to  get  him  to  resume  the 
conversation  and  finish  it  with  more  satisfactory  decision. 
Finally  she  said  :  "  I  do  wish,  Gerardus,  you  would  talk  to 
us  a  little.  There  are  many  things  I  want  to  ask  you  about." 

"  Not  to-night,  Carlita." 

"  Of  course  we  are  going  to  the  naval  ball,  and  prepara 
tions  specially  for  it  must  be  made.  Why  do  you  not 
answer  me,  Gerardus?  " 

"  My  dear  Carlita,  no  husband  ever  repented  of  having 
held  his  tongue.  I  am  in  no  mood  to  talk  to-night." 

"  You  promised  Sappha  that  pearl  necklace." 

"Hum-m-m!" 

"  And  I  cannot  lend  her  mine,  as  I  shall  want  to  wear 
it." 

There  was  no  answer,  but  then  silence  answers  much  ;  and 
Mrs.  Bloommaert,  considering  her  husband's  face,  felt  that 
she  had  begun  to  win.  He  was  evidently  pondering  the  posi 
tion,  for  he  was  not  reading.  During  this  critical  pause 
Leonard  Murray  entered.  He  was  aware  at  once  of  the 
constrained  atmosphere,  and  with  the  egotism  of  jealousy 
he  attributed  it  to  his  sudden  appearance.  For  once  he  was 
really  de  trop.  He  interrupted  an  important  decision,  and 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  annoyed.  Under  cover  of  his  entry, 
and  the  slight  commotion  it  caused,  the  judge  resumed  his 

123 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


reading.  "  I  must  ask  your  indulgence,  Mr.  Murray,"  he 
said  politely,  "  but  I  am  just  now  accompanying  Mr.  James 
Bruce  in  search  of  the  sources  of  the  Nile  ;  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  live  between  Egypt  and  the  Bowling  Green." 

Leonard  said  he  understood,  and  would  be  sorry  to  inter 
rupt  a  mental  trip  so  much  to  Judge  Bloommaert's  taste. 
But  he  did  not  understand  —  not  at  all.  He  was  mortified 
at  his  reception,  and  he  had  not  that  domestic  instinct  which 
would  have  taught  him  that  the  constraint  he  felt  was  of  a 
family  nature  and  did  not  include  him.  In  his  present 
sensitive,  jealous  mood  he  believed  the  judge  was  reading 
because  he  preferred  reading  to  his  society  —  that  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  was  silent  and  restless  because,  in  some  way,  he 
had  interfered;  and  that  Sappha's  shy,  abortive  efforts  to 
restore  a  cheerful,  confidential  feeling  were  colder  and  more 
perfunctory  than  he  had  ever  before  seen  them. 

In  this  latter  estimate  he  was  partly  correct.  Sappha 
was  as  eager  and  anxious  about  the  visit  to  the  theatre  and 
the  naval  ball  as  it  was  natural  a  girl  of  eighteen  years  old 
should  be,  and  Leonard  had  interrupted  discussion  at  a 
critical  point;  had  put  off  settlements  about  dresses  and  va 
rious  other  important  items  —  and  besides  this  fault  had 
brought  into  the  room  with  him  an  atmosphere  very  differ 
ent  from  his  usual  light-hearted  mood,  explaining  itself  by 
interesting  political  or  social  news.  For  once  he  was  quite 
absorbed  in  Leonard  Murray,  and  then  nobody  seemed  to 
care  about  Leonard  Murray.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  asked  him 

124 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


questions  about  the  decorations,  and  Sappha  about  the  people 
who  were  assisting  with  them,  and  he  simply  answered,  with 
out  adding  any  of  his  usual  amusing  commentaries. 

In  a  short  time  Mrs.  Bloommaert  left  the  room,  and  as 
the  judge  appeared  to  be  lost  in  the  sources  of  the  Nile 
Leonard  was  practically  alone  with  Sappha.  He  first  asked 
her  to  practise  some  songs  with  him,  but  she  answered,  "  The 
parlour  is  un  warmed  and  unlighted,  Leonard,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  take  cold,  just  when  the  holidays  are  here." 

"  Certainly  not,"  he  said,  but  the  refusal  was  a  fresh 
offence.  Why  had  Sappha  not  ordered  fire  and  light  to  be 
put  in  the  parlour?  She  usually  did.  Something  was  interest 
ing  her  more  than  his  probable  visit  —  what  could  it  be  ?  Not 
the  theatre  —  not  the  naval  ball.  Sappha  was  used  to  such 
affairs  ;  he  had  never  known  them  put  the  whole  house  out  of 
temper  before.  For  by  this  time  he  had  decided  the  atmos 
phere  was  one  of  bad  temper,  without  considering  for  a 
moment  that  it  was  possibly  his  own  bad  temper. 

Suddenly  he  rose  and  said  he  must  go;  and  no  one  asked 
him  to  remain  longer.  Sappha  felt  the  constraint  of  her 
father's  presence,  and  did  not  accompany  him  to  the  hall. 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  opening  and  shutting  drawers  and 
doors  upstairs,  and  the  judge  only  gave  to  his  "  Good-night, 
judge,"  a  civil  equivalent  in  "  Good-night,  Mr.  Murray." 
As  he  was  leaving  the  house  he  saw  Mr.  St.  Ange  approach 
ing  it,  and  instead  of  advancing  to  meet  him  he  turned 
southward  towards  Stone  Street.  Of  this  cowardly  step  he 

125 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


was  soon  ashamed,  and  he  went  back  and  forced  himself  to 
pass  the  Bloommaert  house.  It  had  a  more  happy  aspect. 
Some  one  had  stirred  the  logs,  and  the  dancing  flames  showed 
through  the  dropped  white  shades.  There  was  a  movement 
also  in  the  room  ;  the  sound  of  voices,  and  once  he  could  have 
sworn  he  heard  Sappha  laugh.  Did  he  not  know  her  laugh 
among  a  thousand?  It  was  like  the  tinkle  of  a  little  bell. 

For  at  least  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  tormented  himself 
with  the  pictures  his  imagination  drew  of  what  was  passing 
behind  that  illuminated  screen.  Then  he  went  gloomily  to 
his  room  and  sat  down  with  jealousy,  and  began  to  count  up 
his  suspicions.  A  miserable  companion  is  jealousy!  And  a 
miserable  tale  of  wrongs  she  gave  him  to  reckon  up.  But  at 
least  he  reached  one  truth  in  that  unhappy  occupation  —  it 
was,  that  the  engagement  between  Sappha  and  himself  ought 
to  be  immediately  made  public.  All  their  little  misunder 
standings,  all  his  humiliations,  had  come  through  their  re 
lationship  being  kept  secret.  He  felt  that  he  was  missing 
much  of  the  pleasure  of  his  wooing;  certainly  he  was  de 
prived  of  the  eclat  that  it  ought  to  have  brought  him.  It  was 
all  wrong!  All  wrong!  And  it  must  be  put  right  at  once. 
He  promised  himself  he  would  see  to  that  necessity  the  first 
thing  he  did  in  the  morning. 

With  this  promise  his  insurgent  heart  suffered  him  to  sleep 
a  little,  yet  sleep  did  him  no  good.  He  awoke  with  the  same 
consuming  fever  of  resentment.  He  could  not  eat,  nor  yet 
drink;  he  had  no  use  for  anything  but  thought:  jealous 

126 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


thought,  with  that  eternal  hurry  of  the  soul  that  will  not 
suffer  rest  —  thoughts  of  love  and  sorrow,  starting  in  every 
direction  from  his  unhappy  heart,  to  find  out  some  hope,  and 
meeting  only  suspicion,  anger,  and  despair.  It  was  his  first 
experience  of  that  egotistical  malady, 

"  whose  torment,  no  men  sure 
But  lovers  and  the  damned  endure." 

And  he  was  astonished  and  dismayed  at  his  suffering. 

But  few  men  suffer  patiently;  they  are  usually  quick  for 
their  own  relief,  and  accordingly  very  early  the  following 
morning  Leonard  made  an  excuse  for  calling  on  Sappha. 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  had  gone,  however,  to  Nassau  Street,  and 
he  did  not  need  to  urge  the  excuse  prepared.  He  launched 
at  once  into  his  wrongs  and  his  sufferings;  and  indeed  the 
latter  had  left  some  intelligible  traces.  Sappha  was  moved 
by  his  pale  face  and  troubled  eyes  to  unusual  sympathy;  but 
this  did  not  suffice.  He  felt  that  the  only  way  to  prevent  a 
recurrence  of  the  night's  suffering  was  to  insist  upon  a  public 
acknowledgment  of  his  rights  as  her  accepted  lover,  and  he 
told  Sappha  this  in  no  equivocal  words. 

She  was  distressed  by  his  passion  and  evident  distraction, 
but  she  would  not  listen  for  a  moment  to  his  proposal  to 
explain  their  position  to  her  father  that  night.  And  his 
eager  entreaties  finally  roused  in  her  something  like  anger. 
"  You  are  too  selfish,  Leonard,"  she  said,  "  and  please  do  not 
make  your  love  for  me  the  excuse  for  your  selfishness.  You 
must  be  happy,  no  matter  who  is  unhappy.  Could  you  have 

127 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


picked  out  in  the  whole  year  a  time  more  unpropitious,  more 
inopportune,  than  this  very  week?  Every  person  who  has 
any  patriotic  feeling  gives  up  all  their  interest  to  our  country 
for  the  next  few  days.  Christmas  and  New  Year's  holidays 
have  claims  we  cannot  forget.  It  is  my  father's  holiday,  his 
great  holiday,  when  he  throws  all  business  cares  from  his 
mind.  My  mother  has  all  manner  of  little  domesticities  and 
household  hopes  and  fears  and  duties  to  attend  to.  Have 
at  least  a  little  patience!  Wait  until  the  New  Year's  feast 
is  over." 

"  And  give  St.  Ange  another  ten  days  full  of  delightful 
opportunities." 

"  St.  Ange  !  What  do  you  mean,  Leonard  ?  Surely  you 
are  not  jealous  of  St.  Ange.  He  has  given  you  no  cause 
whatever." 

"  At  first  he  behaved  with  all  the  honour  imaginable  ;  but 
lately  I  have  seen  a  change.  He  is  no  longer  influenced  by  a 
belief  in  our  engagement.  Naturally  he  thinks,  if  it  had 
existed,  you  or  I  would  have  shown  some  signs  of  so  close 
a  relationship.  I  have  been  held  back  on  every  hand,  and  you 
have  not  been  as  seclusive  and  exclusive  as  you  might  have 
been." 

"  Oh,  Leonard  !     How  can  you  ?  " 

"  You  have  been  very  kind  and  familiar  with  St.  Ange. 
He  comes  here  quite  as  much  as  I  do.  He  goes  out  with  your 
grandmother  and  mother,  and  often  your  father  is  seen  walk 
ing  on  the  Battery  with  him.  He  never  walks  with  me.  I 

128 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 

6ii  ii  ~  i  ii " ~  <  ii" —  DM" — i  nun  i  —  am  < — i  nm  i — i  narm —  nnnn —  nnni — <  ifli — nun — «nt 

do  not  like  it.  It  is  too  much  suffering!  I  cannot  endure 
it." 

"  I  heard  mother  come  in.  I  will  go  and  speak  to  her, 
Leonard." 

"  Do.    She  must  see  how  reasonable  I  am." 

But  the  moment  Sappha  entered  her  mother's  room  she 
was  met  by  a  rebuff.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  just  looked  in  her 
face,  and  understood;  and  before  she  had  spoken  half  a 
dozen  words  she  said  with  an  air  of  resolve  and  annoyance. 
"  Now,  Sappha,  I  will  hear  nothing  about  Leonard.  He  has 
been  quite  unreasonable  lately,  and  he  was  in  a  bad  temper 
last  night.  Oh,  yes,  he  was!  I  know  bad  temper  when  I 
see  it." 

"  But,  mother,  this  is  important.  He  is  really  deter 
mined." 

"  Do  not  tell  me  what  he  is  determined  on,  for  I  shall 
certainly  repeat  all  you  say  to  your  father." 

"  He  wants,  dear  mother,  he  wants " 

"  Just  what  he  cannot  have;  what  he  has  no  right  to  have 
— yet.  He  promised  you  to  wait.  I  know  he  did.  Do  not 
tell  me  anything,  Sappha,  because  I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to 
tell  your  father  all  you  say — just  at  this  time  too!  It  is  too 
bad!  It  is  exceedingly  selfish  and  inconsiderate;  and  I  am 
astonished  at  Leonard  Murray." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  ought  to  call  Leonard  *  selfish  and  in 
considerate.'  He  is  very  unhappy." 

"  When  all  the  city  is  happy  and  rejoicing!  Can  be  not 
129 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


put  aside  his  own  happiness  for  a  while  and  rejoice  with 
every  one  else?  We  are  going  to  keep  Christmas  for  the 
Christ's  sake  ;  we  are  going  to  honour  the  brave  men  who  have 
done  our  country  such  honour;  we  are  going,  all  of  us,  to 
think  of  our  country  and  forget  ourselves  ;  and  Leonard  must 
take  this  very  time  to  urge  some  bit  of  pleasure  that  will  be 
his,  and  his  only,  that  no  one  else  must  share  -  " 

"  You  forget  me,  mother." 

"  No.  I  am  sure  you  are  no  party  to  anything  that  is  so 
selfishly  personal.  I  think  you  would  put  the  general  good, 

and  the  general  happiness,  before  your  own  satisfac 
tion." 

Then  Sappha  answered,  "  I  hope  you  judge  me  rightly, 
mother;  and  I  will  be  very  firm  with  Leonard.  Yet  he 
seems  so  miserable." 

"  He  is  nursing  some  silly  idea  that  in  some  way  or  other 
he  is  being  wronged.  This  notion  blots  all  other  ideas  out 
of  recognition  ;  he  is,  as  I  said  before,  suffering  from  selfish 
ness  ;  and  selfishness  is  the  worst-tempered  of  all  vices.  " 

"At  any  rate,  he  is  wretched.  Come  and  speak  to  him, 
mother." 

"  No,  I  will  not.  I  have  other  things  to  do.  Of  course  he 
is  wretched  !  he  ought  to  be,  for  bad  temper,  fortunately,  bites 
at  both  ends.  My  advice  to  you  is,  be  a  little  cross  yourself. 
Dear  me!  How  tiresome  men  in  love  are!  " 

To  this  last  exclamation  Sappha  closed  the  door.  She 
walked  slowly  downstairs,  she  lingered,  she  seemed  unable 

130 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


to  come  to  any  decision.  But  in  the  midst  of  her  uncertainty 
she  listened  to  her  heart,  and  what  her  heart  said  to  her  was 
this:  "  It  can  never  be  wrong  to  be  kind."  So  strengthened, 
and  even  counselled,  by  this  suggestion,  she  went  back  to  her 
lover.  He  was  walking  about  the  room  in  a  fever  of  self- 
torment,  and  as  the  door  opened  he  turned  inquiringly.  And 
it  was  the  loveliest  of  Sapphas  he  saw.  She  met  him  in  all  her 
charms;  her  eyes  had  a  sunny  radiance,  her  mouth  was  all 
smiles,  she  looked  as  if  there  was  not  a  care  in  the  wide 
world  —  a  healing,  lovesome  woman,  wonderfully  sweet  and 
comforting. 

"  Dearest  one,"  she  said  softly,  "  sit  here  beside  me.  Let 
me  hare  your  hand,  Leonard,  and  listen  to  me.  My  mother 
says  this  is  the  very  worst  time  in  all  the  year  to  speak  to  my 
father.  He  is  so  full  of  public  affairs,  and  you  know,  just 
now,  they  ought  to  come  before  any  private  ones.  Ought 
they  not,  dear?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course,  but  -  " 

"  Well,  there  can  be  no  'but  '  for  a  few  days.  Christmas 
is  Christ's  feast  —  we  cannot  presume  to  put  ourselves  before 
Christmas;  and  then  come  all  the  honours,  and  feasts,  and 
public  rejoicings  for  our  dear  country.  You  would  not  put 
yourself,  nor  even  Sappha,  before  America,  her  honour  and 
freedom?  And  so  I  think,  with  mother,  we  must  wait  until 
after  the  New  Year  before  we  say  a  word  about  ourselves. 
Dear,  a  few  months,  a  few  weeks  ago,  you  were  so  happy 
with  my  assurance  only.  Is  it  less  sweet  now  than  then?  " 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


And  as  she  spoke  more  and  more  tenderly,  aiding  her 
words  with  loving  glances  and  the  light  pressure  of  her  little 
hand,  softer  thoughts  flowed  in,  and  the  enchanter,  love, 
usurped  the  place  of  every  evil  passion.  Leonard  finally  prom 
ised  to  be  happy,  and  to  let  others  be  happy;  and  he  kissed 
this  agreement  on  her  lips.  Alas! 

"  Man,  only,  clogs  with  care  his  happiness, 
And  while  he  should  enjoy  his  part  of  bliss, 
With  thoughts  of  what  might  be,  destroys  what  is." 

DRYDEN. 

And  when  Sappha  had  watched  and  smiled  him  out  of 
sight  she  turned  in  with  a  sigh  and  a  sudden  depression  of 
spirit.  She  had  won  Leonard  to  her  wish  and  way,  but  anger 
is  always  self-immolation,  and  for  a  time  at  least  Leonard 
had  fallen  in  her  esteem,  for  she  was  compelled  to  disapprove 
of  much  that  he  had  said;  and  the  more  we  judge,  the  less 
we  love. 

The  whole  affair  seemed  trifling  to  Mrs.  Bloommaert;  it 
was  an  annoyance  in  the  midst  of  events  of  far  more  im 
portance,  and  had  to  be  got  out  of  the  way — that  was  all. 
But  to  Sappha  it  was  different.  She  had  forgiven  Leonard, 
but  unhappy  is  the  lover  whom  a  woman  forgives;  and 
Sappha  was  herself  quite  conscious  that  some  virtue  had 
gone  out  of  her  life.  It  was  not  a  little  event  to  Sappha,  for 
there  are  no  little  events  with  the  heart. 

Fortunately  Annette  and  St.  Ange  came  in,  and  Sappha 
was  compelled  to  meet  them  on  the  level  of  their  joyous 

132 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


temper.  They  had  finished  decorating  madame's  house,  and 
their  arms  were  full  of  box  and  feathery  hemlock  and  the 
blooms  of  many-coloured  everlasting  flowers  and  great 
bunches  of  the  vermilion  berries  of  the  darling  pyracantha 
shrub.  They  were  tingling  with  the  Christmas  joy,  and  their 
ringing  laughter,  their  jokes  and  snatches  of  song,  their  quips 
and  mock  reproofs  of  their  own  mirth,  filled  the  house  with 
the  electric  atmosphere  of  Merry  Christmas.  Negroes  were 
chattering  among  them,  raising  ladders,  and  running  mess 
ages,  and  the  tapping  of  the  little  hammers,  and  the  cries  of 
admiration  as  the  room  grew  to  a  fairy  bower,  was  far  better 
than  the  music  of  many  instruments — it  was  the  music  of  the 
heart. 

"  We  ought  to  have  had  holly,"  said  St.  Ange.  "  There 
is  always  holly  in  Christmas  decorations." 

"  The  pyracantha  berries  are  just  as  pretty,"  answered 
Mrs.  Bloommaert,  "  and  the  pyracantha  is  a  rapid  grower, 
and  can  be  cut  with  impunity — even  with  profit  to  the  bush ; 
but  to  cut  holly !  that  is  rather  a  cruel  business.  It  is  almost 
as  bad  as  flinging  the  Christmas  tree  into  the  streets  when  it 
has  done  its  whole  duty." 

"  But,  aunt  Carlita,  what  else  can  be  done?  It  is  too  big  to 
keep,  and " 

"  I  will  tell  you.  In  Germany,  the  home  of  the  Christmas 
tree,  they  give  it  house  room  until  Shrove  Tuesday,  then  it 
is  formally  burned." 

"  Well,"  said  Sapphira,  "  we  are  not  going  to  have  a 

133 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

O^Q^^^>-^^^^>^^:^^»QW<^^^OQ^<s^s»9QQ<S^>0(tQ<s^s»0^^<^^*O^^^^^^Od9'SS^^^<^^>^*^^>OW 

Christmas  tree  this  year;  my  father  likes  far  better  the 
Yule  Klap." 

"  What  an  outlandish  name !  "  exclaimed  St.  Ange. 

"Truly  so,  but  then,  such  a  delightful  custom!  "  replied 
Annette.  "  To-morrow  night  you  will  have  to  do  your  part 
in  the  Yule  Klap ;  I  hope  you  are  prepared." 

"  But  then,  I  know  not." 

"  My  aunt  will  tell  you  all  about  it."  And  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert  said :  "  Come  now,  it  is  easy  enough.  The  judge  will 
open  the  Christmas  room,  and  then  every  one  will  throw  their 
gifts  into  the  room,  crying  '  Yule  Klap '  in  a  disguised  voice. 
The  gifts  may  be  rich  or  poor,  but  they  must  be  wrapped  in  a 
great  number  of  coverings,  and  each  cover  be  addressed  to  a 
different  person,  but  the  person  whose  name  is  on  the  last 
cover  gets  the  gift.  The  gifts  are  to  be  strictly  anonymous. 
So  then  no  thanks  are  to  be  given,  and  there  can  be  no  envious 
feelings  awakened." 

"  That  is  charming,"  cried  St.  Ange.  Then  he  was  in  a 
hurry  to  leave,  but  Mrs.  Bloommaert  insisted  that  he  should 
stay  and  drink  a  glass  of  hot  negus  ere  he  went  into  the  cold 
air.  While  the  negro  boy  was  bringing  in  a  tray  full  of 
Christmas  dainties,  and  Sappha  spicing  the  Portugal  wine, 
they  finished  the  dressing  of  the  room;  and  then  sat  down 
round  the  fire  to  refresh  themselves. 

And  very  soon  St.  Ange  began  to  talk  of  certain  Christmas 
feasts  he  had  spent  in  Europe — in  Madrid,  at  the  Christmas 
turkey  fair,  amid  glorious  sunshine,  the  flower  girls  selling 

134 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


Camillas  and  voilets;  everywhere  colour,  beauty,  music,  bar 
barism,  and  dirt.  At  Rome  in  the  antique  fish  market,  al 
ways  brilliantly  lighted  with  large  torches  on  Christmas  Eve. 
"  For  I  assure  you,"  he  said,  "  the  sumptuous  fish  supper  of 
that  night  is  beyond  anything  that  can  be  conceived  of  here." 
—  at  Naples,  where  Christmas  is  kept  with  confectionery,  and 
the  Toledo  is  a  feast  of  sugar  and  sweets. 

"Are  then  the  Neapolitans  so  fond  of  confectionery?" 
asked  Annette.  "  They  must  be  very  children,"  she  added. 

"  They  are  children  among  sweets,"  he  answered.  "A 
Neapolitan  noble  told  me  that  the  king  was  ever  fearing 
revolution;  'but,'  he  added,  'if  he  will  only  present  every  Nea 
politan  with  a  box  of  sweets  a  revolution  will  be  impossible.'  " 

"  I  do  not  think  a  box  of  sweets  to  every  American  would 
have  prevented  our  Revolution,"  said  Sappha. 

Every  one  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea,  and  then  she  pic 
tured  Washington  and  Putnam,  and  her  grandfather  Bloom- 
maert's  reception  of  these  peace  offerings.  And  the  scene 
was  so  funnily  enacted  that  no  one  could  help  laughing 
heartily  at  it.  Yet  in  the  very  climax  of  the  hilarious  chorus 
Sappha  had  a  heavy  heart  ;  her  mirth  was  only  from  the  lips 
outward.  However,  it  seemed  only  too  real  to  Leonard, 
who  entered  suddenly  while  the  peal  of  laughter  was  at  its 
height.  And  he  was  so  totally  unexpected  that  the  moment's 
sudden  silence  which  followed  was  the  most  natural  con 
sequence;  especially  as  it  ended  in  a  rush  of  inquiries  and 
exclamations. 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  So  glad  to  see  you!  " 

"  Come  and  sit  down,  and  have  a  glass  of  hot  negus." 

"  What  good  fortune  sent  you?  " 

"Is  there  any  strange  news?"  And  then  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert's  rather  stiff  question :  "  Is  anything  wrong, 
Leonard?" 

Leonard  turned  to  her  at  once.  "  No,  indeed,"  he  an 
swered.  "  I  met  the  judge  at  the  City  Hall  and  he  asked  me 
to  bring  you  this  letter.  I  think  he  expects  to  be  detained. 
He  was  just  going  on  to  an  important  committee.  If  there 
is  any  answer,  I  will  carry  it,  if  you  wish  me  to  do  so." 

And  as  Mrs.  Bloommaert  read  the  letter  Sappha  brought 
him  some  spiced  wine,  but  he  would  not  take  it.  He  said 
"  he  was  going  back  to  complete  some  decorations,  whose 
position  required  a  very  clear  head  and  steady  foot."  But 
he  knew  in  his  heart  that  it  was  no  fear  of  danger  made  him 
refuse  the  proffered  cup  of  good-will.  It  was  jealousy  that 
whispered  to  him:  "The  cup  was  not  mingled  for  you. 
There  was  no  thought  of  you  in  it.  Others  were  expected 
and  prepared  for,  and  you  were  not  even  told."  Under  the 
influence  of  such  thoughts  he  was  constrained  and  quite  un-* 
like  himself,  and  an  effectual  destroyer  of  happiness.  An  un 
comfortable  silence,  broken  by  bungling  attempts  to  restore 
the  natural  mirth  he  had  disturbed,  were  not  happy  efforts. 
He  made  himself  an  intruder,  and  then  blamed  every  one 
else  for  the  position  he  had  taken  voluntarily,  through  his 
own  misconception.  Sappha  was  painfully  aware  of  the 

136 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


constraint,  and  she  wished  for  once  that  Annette  would  open 
her  generally  ready  stream  of  badinage.  But  Annette  was 
busy  advising,  in  a  somewhat  private  detail,  St.  Ange  con 
cerning  his  part  of  the  game  of  Yule  Klap;  and  St.  Ange, 
having  received  her  instructions  while  Leonard  was  waiting, 
rose  when  Leonard  did,  and  proposed  to  walk  part  of  the  way 
with  him. 

"  You  will  call  this  evening,  will  you  not?  "  asked  Sappha 
timidly,  as  they  stood  by  a  little  table  full  of  mysterious 
packages. 

"  It  will  be  impossible,"  he  answered.  "  Every  part  of 
the  decorations  are  in  my  charge,  and  I  have  a  great  deal  to 
attend  to." 

"  To-morrow  is  Christmas  Eve.  You  will  be  here  for  the 
Yule  Klap?" 

"If  I  am  wanted!" 

"  Oh,  Leonard  !  If  you  are  wanted  !  If  you  are  not 
present  I  shall  not  care  for  anything,  or  any  one  else." 

"  Then  I  will  come,  dearest."  This  conversation  had 
been  held,  almost  in  whispers,  as  Sappha  was  supposed  to  be 
showing  Leonard  some  of  the  Yule  Klap  offerings  she  was 
preparing.  Then  the  young  men  went  away  together,  but 
the  ocean  between  them  could  not  really  have  set  them  more 
apart.  St.  Ange  made  several  attempts  to  open  a  conversation 
on  Yule  Klap.  He  wanted  Leonard's  advice  about  the  gifts 
most  suitable  ;  but  Leonard  professed  both  ignorance  and  in 
difference  concerning  a  game  so  childish;  and  at  Vaarict 

137 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Street  St.  Ange,  having  failed  completely  to  evoke  anything 
like  friendly  intercourse,  bid  him  good-morning.  He  was 
worried  over  his  friend's  evident  displeasure;  and  over  his 
own  failure  to  either  account  for  or  dispel  it.  He  went  west 
ward  to  Greenwich  Street,  and  having  made  many  purchases 
in  the  most  fashionable  stores,  rather  wearily  returned  to  his 
rooms  at  the  City  Hotel.  He  was  depressed  and  had  a  pre 
monition  of  trouble. 

After  this  little  cloud  the  Christmas  festivities  went  on 
with  unalloyed  pleasure.  Madame  and  Annette  \vere  to  stay 
at  the  Bowling  Green  house  until  Saturday,  and  when  the 
judge  saw  his  mother's  delight  in  her  anticipated  visit  to  the 
theatre  on  Christmas  night  he  had  no  heart  to  say  one  op 
posing  word.  But  Sappha  was  not  now  so  eager.  She  felt 
sure  that  in  Leonard's  present  temper  he  would  not  like  her 
to  be  the  guest  of  St.  Ange,  and  she  resolved  to  forego  the 
pleasure.  "  I  shall  have  a  little  headache  in  the  morning, 
and  it  will  grow  worse  towards  night,  and  I  shall  beg  to  be 
left  at  home  that  I  may  sleep  it  away.  I  do  not  think  it  will 
be  wrong,"  she  mused.  "  There  is  not  room  in  the  box  St. 
Ange  has  taken  but  for  six  ;  and  if  there  was  room,  I  am  sure 
Leonard  would  not  accept  the  invitation  to  join  us.  Well, 
then,  it  is  better  to  make  an  excuse  than  to  make  trouble. 
Why  did  not  Leonard  rent  a  box?  He  might  have  thought 
of  it  just  as  well  as  St.  Ange.  I  wish  I  knew  what  it  is 
best,  what  it  is  right,  to  do." 

To  such  troubled  thoughts  she  fell  asleep,  and  when  she 

138 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 

Ot9<CS>  CO  cCS>«0<=S>DOO«C=>  90*  <=3>  900  «S^>0»0«S^>OM«S=X»0«=^3>930«S^»  »0  <=S>««<=^>00» 

awoke  in  the  morning  the  weather  had  settled  the  matter  for 
her.  It  was  bitterly  cold,  and  a  furious  snowstorm  was 
blocking  up  the  pathways  and  making  a  visit  to  the  theatre 
beyond  a  safe  or  pleasant  probability.  Madame  sadly  ad 
mitted  the  condition,  but  the  day  went  happily  forward ; 
and  about  two  o'clock  Leonard  and  St.  Ange  and  Peter 
arrived,  and  the  judge  opened  the  Christmas  room,  and  then 
there  was  two  hours  of  pure  mirth — of  surprise  without  end ; 
of  beautiful  gifts  whose  donors  were  to  speculate  about ; 
half-guesses  sent  into  conscious  faces;  questions  asked  with 
beaming  eyes;  all  the  delightful  uncertainties  which  love 
could  make,  and  love  alone  unravel.  The  Christmas  dinner 
followed,  and  after  it  a  dance,  which  madame,  with  Peter 
for  her  partner,  opened.  Every  one  joined  in  it,  and  the  mer 
riest  of  evenings  was  thus  inaugurated.  So  nobody  regrettec" 
the  theatre,  not  even  madame,  for  she  had  been  privately  in 
formed  by  St.  Ange  that  the  box  was  reserved  for  the  great 
naval  performance  on  the  seventh  of  January;  and  that  it 
would  be  one  far  more  worth  seeing,  one  never  to  be  for 
gotten.  And  madame  kept  this  bit  of  anticipatory  pleasure 
as  a  little  secret,  and  was  as  gay  as  a  child  over  it. 

Leonard  also  was  in  his  most  charming  mood,  and  Sappha 
was  divinely  happy;  her  beauty  was  enchanting,  and  her 
manner  so  mild  and  sweet  that  she  diffused  on  all  hands  a 
sense  of  exquisite  peace  and  felicity.  For  Leonard  had 
whispered  to  her  such  words  of  contrition  and  devotion  as 
erased  totally  and  forever  the  memory  of  his  unworthy  tem- 

139 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


per  and  suspicions.  And  after  that  confession  there  could 
be  only  sorrow  for  his  fault,  and  delight  in  pardoning  and 
forgetting  it. 

All  throughout  the  following  week  he  preserved  this  sunny 
mood.  He  was  undoubtedly  very  busy,  for  the  naval  dinner 
was  to  be  given  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  December,  and  he 
was  the  director  of  the  committee  of  young  men  who  were 
turning  the  great  dining  room  of  the  City  Hotel  into  a 
marine  palace.  It  was  his  taste  which  colonnaded  it  with  the 
masts  of  ships  wreathed  with  laurel  and  all  the  national 
flags  of  the  world  —  except  that  of  Great  Britain.  It  was 
Leonard  who  devised  the  greensward,  in  the  midst  of  which 
was  a  real  lake,  and  floating  on  it  a  miniature  United  States 
war  frigate. 

It  was  Leonard,  also,  who  hung  behind  the  dais  on 
which  Mayor  Clinton,  Decatur,  Hall,  and  the  officers 
of  the  navy  were  to  sit,  the  mainsail  of  a  ship  thirty-three 
feet  by  sixteen,  on  which  the  American  eagle  was  painted, 
holding  in  his  beak  a  scroll  bearing  these  significant  words: 
"  Our  children  are  the  property  of  our  country."  There 
were  many  other  transparencies  to  attend  to  ;  besides  which, 
every  table  was  to  bear  a  miniature  warship  with  American 
colours  displayed.  And  to  the  five  hundred  gentlemen  of 
New  York,  who  sat  down  to  the  dinner  served  in  that  room, 
these  were  no  childish  symbols.  They  were  the  palpable, 
visible  signs  of  a  patriotism  that  meant  freedom  or  death,  and 
nothing  less. 

140 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


In  the  midst  of  all  the  business  connected  with  such  prep 
arations,  in  a  time  when  the  things  wanted  were  not  always 
procurable,  and  had  to  be  supplied  by  the  things  that  could 
be  obtained,  Leonard  —  whose  heart  was  hot  in  his  work  of 
patriotism  —  was  naturally  very  busy  and  very  much  occupied 
with  the  work  on  hand.  Yet  he  found  time  sufficient  to  see 
Sappha  often  enough  to  convince  her  he  had  not  fallen  away 
from  the  promise  he  had  made  her  —  "  to  harbour  no  un 
worthy  suspicions  of  any  one  who  loved  him." 

At  length  New  Year's  Eve  arrived.  More  than  three 
hundred  of  New  York's  loveliest  women  had  been  for  weeks 
preparing  for  it,  and  all  were  eager  for  the  pleasure  it  prom 
ised  them. 

The  Bloommaert  party,  consisting  of  the  judge,  Mrs. 
Bloommaert,  Sappha,  and  Annette,  were  early  arrivals; 
and  Leonard,  who  was  one  of  the  directors,  met  them  at  the 
door.  And  he  looked  so  noble,  and  so  handsome,  and  his 
manner  was  so  fine  and  gracious,  that  even  Judge  Bloom 
maert  was  impressed  by  his  personality,  and  returned  his 
greeting  with  unusual  warmth.  But  then,  as  Leonard  re 
flected,  any  man  who  failed  in  politeness,  or  even  in  cordiality, 
in  the  presence  of  three  such  lovely  women  as  Sappha,  An 
nette,  and  Mrs.  Bloommaert,  would  surely  be  something  less 
than  human. 

Mrs.  Bloommaert's  beauty  was  yet  in  its  ripe  perfection. 
She  was  as  the  full  blown  rose  that  has  not  yet  dropped  a 
single  leaf.  She  wore  a  gown  of  white  satin  covered  with  a 

141 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


netting  of  gold  thread;  and  there  was  a  string  of  pearls 
round  her  throat,  and  a  large  comb  in  form  the  braids  and 
bows  of  her  glossy  black  hair.  She  carried  in  her  hand  a 
little  fan  of  exquisite  workmanship,  and  used  it  with  a 
grace  that  no  woman  in  the  room,  old  or  young,  could 
imitate. 

Sappha's  gown  was  of  white  satin  of  so  rich  a  quality  that 
any  trimming  on  it  would  have  been  vulgar  and  superfluous. 
Her  sandals  also  were  of  white  satin  ;  and  in  her  beautiful, 
brown  hair  there  was  one  white  rose  ;  and  round  her  slender 
throat  the  necklace  of  pearls  which  had  come  to  her  among 
the  gifts  of  the  Yule  Klap.  Annette  was  dressed  in  a  slip  of 
pale  blue  satin,  covered  with  white  gauze  of  the  most  trans 
parent  quality;  a  very  mist  of  white  over  a  little  cloud  of 
pale  blue.  Her  sandals  were  blue,  and  she  wore  a  necklace 
of  turquoise  stones  cut  in  the  shape  of  stars  and  united  by  a 
tiny  ornament  of  frosted  silver.  Her  hair  hung  free,  and 
was  loosely  curled  and  confined  by  a  simple  band  of  blue 
ribbon. 

And  if  Sappha,  with  her  "  eyes  grey-lit  in  shadowing 
hair  above,"  seemed  to  wear  Love's  very  vesture  with  just 
that  touch  of  pride  that  made  men  wonder  and  revere,  An 
nette  was  like  a  Love  from  Greuze's  dainty  brush  —  a  laugh 
ing,  dancing,  teasing,  mocking  fairy.  Achille  was  constantly 
hovering  around  her,  and  this  evident  admiration  and  atten 
tion  Sappha  was  careful  to  point  out  to  Leonard. 

The  dance  begun  at  nine  o'clock,  and  at  eleven  supper  was 
142 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 

CtO  Si^3»<5S3=09'^S^»COO-aI^»«CO-<^S>COO<:SS>«00<sS^=COO<c:3>0«0-c^i=>0(!0«efS>l)»<2==>0«<£Z3>«CO 

served  in  a.  room  fitted  up  like  the  great  cabin  of  a  ship  of  the 
line ;  but  aher  supper  dancing  was  resumed,  and  continued 
until  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Then  reluctantly 
the  happy  crowd  went  to  their  homes  to  rest,  for  it  was 
then  New  Year's  Day,  always  a  busy,  fatiguing  anniversary 
— a  day  which  every  one  felt  it  a  duty  to  consecrate  to  friend 
ship  and  hospitality. 

Indeed,  in  Judge  Bloommaert's  household  there  was  barely 
time  for  a  little  sleep  before  the  parlours  were  crowded  with 
callers ;  and  all  of  them  brought  but  one  topic  of  conversa 
tion — the  arrival  of  the  captive  British  war  vessel,  the 
Macedonian.  For  her  conqueror  had  brought  her  as  far 
as  Hell  Gate  the  day  previous,  in  order  that  she  might  arrive 
on  the  first  of  January,  and  be  presented  to  New  York  as 
a  "  New  Year's  Gift."  And,  as  if  good  fortune  was  pleased 
with  this  honour  to  her  favourite  city,  the  very  breeze  that 
was  needed  sprang  up,  and  at  the  very  moment  it  was  needed ; 
and  amid  the  shouting  crowds  that  lined  the  banks  of  the 
East  River,  the  captive  vessel  was  taken  to  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard. 

"  I  had  the  heart-ache  for  her,"  said  Leonard.  "  She 
carried  herself  so  proudly.  I  bethought  me  of  how  she  had 
borne  the  living  fury  of  the  elements,  and  the  living  fury  of 
fiery  battle,  and  I  lifted  my  hat  a  moment  to  the  wounded 
ship  in  her  humiliation,  just  as  I  would  have  done  to  any 
great  soldier  or  sailor,  if  I  saw  them  marched  between  shout 
ing  enemies,  manacled  and  helpless."  And  at  these  words 

143 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


the  judge  regarded  him  silently;  and  there  was  a  quivering 
fire  in  Sappha's  eyes  as  she  said  softly  :  "  You  felt  as  the 
brave  always  feel  in  the  presence  of  a  fallen  enemy.  You  re 
member  the  motto  of  the  old  Plantagenet  knights  —  '  Honour 
to  the  vanquished  !  '  ' 

"  I  remember.  You  told  me  that  once  before.  Do  you 
know  your  brother  Peter  would  not  look  at  her?  " 

"  That  was  strange,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  "  What 
was  the  matter  with  Peter?  " 

"  Peter  always  looks  on  a  ship  as  a  woman,  and  he  cannot 
bear  to  see  her  in  distress." 

"  It  is  a  strange  feeling,  that,  between  ships  and  ship  men," 
said  Dr.  Smith.  "  Sailors  all  give  them  consciousness  and 
sympathy,  and  it  is  a  common  thing  to  hear  them  say  of  any 
craft,  '  she  behaves  well.'  Captain  Tim  Barnard  of  the  pri 
vateer  General  Armstrong,  when  chasing  an  enemy,  talks  to 
his  ship,  as  an  Arabian  to  his  horse;  urges  her,  entreats  her 
to  put  forth  all  her  speed,  makes  her  promises  of  additional 
guns,  or  a  new  flag,  and,  what  is  more,  he  firmly  believes 
she  understands  and  obeys  him." 

"  Well,"  answered  the  judge,  "  every  one  I  know  con 
nected  with  shipping  speaks  as  commonly  and  as  naturally  of 
the  average  life  of  a  ship  as  they  do  of  the  average  life  of  a 
sailor." 

"  Once,"  said  Achille,  "  when  I  was  in  England  I  watched 
from  the  cliff  a  ship  in  danger.  She  flashed  out  signals  of 
distress,  and  her  minute  guns  sounded  like  the  cries  of  some 

144 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


living  creature,  and  as  I  looked  and  listened  I  saw  men  run 
ning  to  some  boats  that  were  lying  half-alive  on  their  stocks, 
and  in  a  moment  they  were  in  the  raving,  raging  sea.  Boats 
and  men  seemed  alike  eager  and  pitiful.  And  the  gallant 
ship!  She  was  like  a  mother  in  extremity  —  if  she  must  go, 
she  entreated  that  her  sons  might  be  saved." 

"Were  they?" 

"  Yes,  all  of  them;  but  the  next  morning  her  figure-head, 
looking  seaward  wistfully,  was  lying  on  the  beach;  and  her 
broken  rudder  beside  it.  They  were  sadder  than  spoken 
words.  No  one  saw  the  ship  die.  She  went  down  to  her 
grave  alone  —  but  I  think  she  was  glad  of  that." 

"  Come,  come  then,"  said  Peter,  who  had  entered  during 
this  conversation,  "  we  need  not  go  so  far  afield  for  splendid 
facts.  Let  us  remember  the  nineteenth  of  last  August,  when 
Captain  Isaac  Hull  wounded  to  death  the  fine  British 
man-of-war  Guerriere.  It  was  seen  at  once  that  her  case 
was  hopeless,  and  the  Constitution  watched  by  her  all  night, 
and  removed  not  only  all  her  men,  but  also  all  their  private 
possessions.  On  the  morning  of  the  twentieth  she  was  ready 
for  her  grave.  A  slow  match  was  applied  to  her  magazine, 
and  the  Constitution  bore  away.  At  a  safe  distance  she  hove 
to,  and  the  officers  and  men  of  both  ships  stood  watching. 
The  guns  which  had  been  left  shotted  .soon  began  to  go  off. 
They  were  the  death  knells  of  the  dying  man-of-war.  Pre 
sently  the  flames  reached  the  magazine,  a  mass  of  wreckage 
flew  skyward.  The  Guerriere  was  no  more.  But  William 

145 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Storey,  who  was  present,  told  me  every  man  stood  bare 
headed  as  she  sank,  and  that  her  officers  wept,  while  some  of 
her  men  blubbered  like  children." 

"  Thank  you,  Peter,"  said  the  judge.  "  It  is  a  good  thing 
to  hear  that  Hull  was  so  noble  to  his  prisoners." 

"As  for  that,"  continued  Peter,  "  there  wasn't  a  touch  of 
ill-will  on  either  side,  after  the  fight  was  over.  Storey  said 
the  prisoners  and  captors  sat  around  the  fok'sle  together,  tell 
ing  yarns,  exchanging  tobacco  and  many  little  courtesies. 
Hull  is  too  brave  a  man  to  fear  brave  men.  Some  captains 
might  have  handcuffed  the  crew,  not  so  Hull  ;  and,  indeed, 
every  American  sailor  on  the  Constitution  felt  a  manly 
unwillingness  to  handcuff  enemies  who  had  fought  so 
bravely.  " 

"  Sappha,"  said  the  judge,  "  I  have  heard  Mr.  Murray 
singing  with  you  at  intervals  this  afternoon  and  evening  a 
verse  or  two  that  you  were  setting  to  a  wonderful  bit  of 
music.  Try  it  again,  my  dear." 

"  It  is  The  March  of  the  Men  of  Moray,  father.  Mr. 
Murray  wrote  two  or  three  verses  to  it  about  the  Macedonia. 
Come,  Leonard,"  and  she  struck  a  few  ringing  chords  and 
looked  inspiration  into  his  bending  face.  Then  out  rang  the 
little  ballad  to  the  marching  music  of  his  clan  : 

What  will  they  say  in  England, 

When  the  story  there  is  told, 
Of  Commodore  Decatur, 

And  his  sailor  men  so  bold  ? 

146 


A    CHAIN    OF    CAUSES 


They'll  say  it  was  a  gallant  fight, 

And  fairly  lost  and  won  ; 
So  honour  to  the  sailor  men, 

By  whom  the  deed  was  done  ! 

What  will  they  say  in  England? 

They'll  say  with  grateful  lip, 
Now  glory  to  Almighty  God, 

No  Frenchman  took  the  ship  ! 

No  Frenchman  shot  her  colours  down! 

The  doomed  ship  had  this  grace  — 
To  take  her  death  blow  from  the  hands 

Of  men  of  the  English  race  ! 

And  all  good  honest  men  and  true 

Will  pray  for  war  to  cease  ; 
And  merchant  ships  go  to-and-fro 

On  messages  of  peace. 

And  men-of-war  sail  on  the  land, 
And  soldiers  plough  the  sea, 
Ere  brothers  fight,  who  ought  to  dwell 
In  love  and  unity. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Murray,"  said  the  judge.  "  'Tis  a 
stirring  melody!  " 

'  'Tis  the  march  of  my  forefather's  clan,  sir." 

"And  you  have  said  for  America,  and  for  England,  what 
they  deserve.  We  both  love  fair  play;  and  I  am  sure  both 
nations  know  how  to  take,  either  a  victory  or  a  defeat,  like 
men,  and  gentlemen.  God  make  honourable  peace  between 
us,  and  that  right  early!  " 

To  this  pious  wish  the  company  remaining,  departed  ;   but 

'47 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 

tM^gSf^O'^^^oc^^^liOO*^^^^^*^^^!?^*^^^ 

after  Leonard  had  made  his  long,  sweet  adieu,  Sappha  heard 
her  father  gently  tapping  on  the  table  the  time  of  "  The 
March  of  the  Men  of  Moray"  as  in  pleasant  thoughtfulness 
he  hummed  to  its  music, 

"  They'll  say  it  was  a  gallant  fight, 

And  fairly  lost  and  won, 
So  honour  to  the  sailor  men, 
By  whom  the  deed  was  done! 


CHAPTER 
SIX 


The  Miracle  of  Love 


^Jfc^^-^Q  HERE    had    been    something    more    than 

.  courtesy  in  Judge  Bloommaert's  attitude  to 

Leonard  that  New  Year's  night,  and  Sappha 

was    exceedingly    happy    to    notice    it.     If 

r=fle==n3oLeonard   would   only   be   careful   and   con 


ciliating,  such  favour  might  be  won  as  would  make  an 
acknowledgment  of  their  engagement  pleasantly  possible. 
As  it  was,  Sappha  was  light-hearted  and  hopeful,  for  surely 
now  Leonard  would  wait  the  natural  development  of 
events. 

And  for  a  few  days  the  subject  was  not  named ;  Sappha 
was  busy  helping  her  mother  to  put  in  order  the  numerous 
household  goods  and  affairs  that  had  been  disarranged  by  the 
licence  of  the  holidays,  and  Leonard  also  had  some  unusual 
business,  the  nature  of  which  he  promised  to  reveal  before  the 
week  was  over.  New  Year's  Day  fell  that  year  on  a  Friday, 
and  on  the  Tuesday  following  it  Sappha  went  to  visit  her 
grandmother  and  cousin.  It  was  a  sunshiny,  winter  day,  and 
the  old  house  on  Nassau  Street  had  such  an  antique,  hand 
some  homelikeness,  as  made  far  finer  dwellings  look  common 

149 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  vulgar  in  comparison  with  it.  Madame  sat  by  the  blaz 
ing  fire  writing  letters;  Annette  was  marking  new  towels 
with  the  Blooommaert  initials  ;  but  when  she  saw  Sappha  at 
the  gate  she  put  away  her  work  and  ran  to  meet  her. 

Then  there  was  no  more  writing,  and  no  more  sampler 
letters;  the  three  women  sat  down  to  "talk  things  over." 
And  when  the  Yule  Klap  presents  and  the  New  Year's 
feasts  had  been  discussed,  they  drifted  very  naturally  to  the 
guests  and  to  their  dressing  and  conversation.  Madame 
enjoyed  it  all,  and  the  morning  passed  quickly  and  pleas 
antly  away. 

"  Grandmother  has  a  secret,  Sappha,  and  I  cannot  coax  it 
from  her,"  said  Annette.  Then  she  laid  her  hand  upon 
madame's,  and  added  :  "  Now  that  Sappha  is  here,  do  tell 
us  both,  grandmother." 

"  Until  Thursday  morning  I  will  not  tell  you,"  she  an 
swered.  "  Do  you  wish  me  to  break  my  promise?  That  is 
not  my  way." 

"  You  promised  Achille,  eh,  grandmother  ?  Oh,  I  see  that 
I  have  guessed  correctly  —  you  are  smiling,  grandmother,  and 
you  cannot  help  it  —  so  then,  it  is  something  Achille  is  going 
to  do!  Very  well,  Achille  shall  tell  me.  I  shall  insist 
upon  it." 

They  joked,  and  wondered  about  "  grandmother's  secret," 
and  ineffectually  begged  to  share  it,  until  dinner  was  over; 
then  madame  went  to  her  room,  and  the  girls  dropped  the 
subject  at  once  —  they  had  more  interesting  matter  to  discuss. 

150 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  Have  you  seen  Leonard  since  the  New  Year?"  asked 
Annette.  "  How  delightfully  he  conducted  himself  !  How 
charmingly  he  sang  and  talked!  I  do  believe  that  uncle 
Gerardus  was  quite  impressed  by  his  intelligence.  He  is 
very  handsome  also  —  does  he  still  make  love  to  you, 
Sappha?" 

"  He  would  not  be  in  the  fashion  if  he  omitted  the  fine 
words  all  the  young  men  say  nowadays.  I  might  as  well 
ask  you  if  Achille  flatters  the  fair  Annette  in  the  same  silly 
way  ?  " 

"  Do  you  think  it  silly?  I  think  it  is  heavenly  sweet,  and 
quite  proper.  Yes,  the  dear  Achille  continually  invents  new 
names  for  me.  The  '  fair  Annette  '  is  out  of  date.  I  am 
now  his  '  Heart's  Desire  !  '  I  am  afraid  he  is  distractingly 
in  love  with  me." 

"But  why  do  you  fear  it?  Are  you  not  in  love  with  the 
dear  Achille?" 

"  I  fear  it,  because  I  am  sure  that  I  am  life  or  death  to  him  ; 
and  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  I  am  in  love  with  any  one  —  it  is 
such  a  responsibility.  Are  you  in  love  with  Leonard  ?  " 

"  What  is  the  use  of  being  in  love,  when  you  cannot  marry 
for  nearly  three  years.  I  have  promised  father  and  mother 
not  to  engage  myself  to  any  one  until  after  the  war." 

"  How  foolish  !  Such  silly  promises  ought  to  be  broken  — 
are  made  to  be  broken.  Does  Leonard  want  to  marry  you  ?  " 

"  I  wish  you  would  ask  him.  In  so  many  ways  Leonard 
is  inscrutable.  He  has  some  business  on  hand  now  that  he  is 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


keeping  a  secret.  I  think  secrets  are  in  the  air.  Pray,  when 
will  you  marry  Achille  ?  Or  has  he  not  asked  you  yet  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Sappha,  he  is  the  most  sensitive  of  mortals.  He 
says  love  should  not  be  talked  about  —  it  makes  it  common; 
takes  off  all  the  bloom  and  glory  from  Cupid's  wings;  just 
as  handling  the  butterfly  makes  it  crushed  and  shabby.  I 
think  he  is  right.  Achille  does  not  need  to  talk,  he  says  such 
things  with  his  soft  black  eyes  that  perhaps  he  had  better  not 
say  with  his  beautiful  red  lips.  However,  his  lips  are  not  as 
prudent  as  they  might  be." 

"  Oh,  Annette  !  Do  you  really  mean  that  he  has  kissed 
you?  —  and  yet  you  are  not  engaged." 

"  Suppose  it  is  so!  I  do  not  feel  a  whit  the  worse  for  it. 
I  am  going  to  be  Mrs.  St.  Ange.  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
on  that  subject." 

"  But  Achille?  " 

"  That  is  settled.  I  intend  to  marry  him.  Some  people 
will  say  I  am  making  a  poor  match  —  because,  you  know,  I 
shall  have  a  great  deal  of  property  and  money  ;  but  I  do  not 
intend  to  listen  to  any  one's  opinion." 

"  But  Achille  has  not  really  asked  you  to  be  his  wife?  " 

"  That  is  nothing.  He  will  do  so  the  very  hour  I  am  ready 
to  accept  him.  I  put  the  question  off  until  after  the  holi 
days,  because  one  can  never  tell  what  might  happen  at  New 
Year's." 

"  Were  you  expecting  anything  to  happen  ?  —  anything  un 
foreseen,  Annette  ?  " 

152 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  Well,  I  thought  young  Washington  Irving  might  come 
home  at  Christmas,  and  I  wanted  to  see  him  again.  I  felt 
sure  you  knew  that  I  have  been  considering  him." 

"  He  loved  Matilda  Hoffman." 

"  I  know  that,  of  course.  But  after  she  —  withdrew,  I  felt 
that  it  might  be  my  office  to  comfort  him.  He  looked  so 
charming,  and  so  sorrowful." 

"  I  have  not  seen  him  lately,"  said  Sappha. 

"  He  went  to  Philadelphia  about  some  magazine  he  is 
editing;  but  I  heard  that  he  is  coming  back  to  board  with 
Mrs.  Ryckman.  His  great  friend,  Harry  Brevoort,  told 
Achille  so.  However,  I  have  given  Mr.  Irving  quite  up.  I 
don't  think  I  could  take  any  interst  in  the  Analectic  Maga 
zine  ;  though  I  am  sure  I  cannot  imagine  what  an  Analectic 
Magazine  is  like.  But  then,  as  Achille  says,  I  have  no 
occasion  to  know  such  things.  I  rather  think  it  is  something 
dreadful  —  it  might  be  a  doctor's  magazine.  I  believe  Mr. 
Irving  thought  of  being  a  doctor." 

"  I  certainly  believe  you  would  find  Achille  more  agreeable 
to  you  than  Mr.  Irving." 

"Achille  is  so  wonderfully  polite.  You  cannot  make  him 
forget  his  fine  manners  —  and  grandmother  is  very  fond  of 
him.  She  does  not  like  Mr.  Irving.  She  thinks  his  '  His 
tory  of  New  York,'  a  piece  of  great  impertinence  —  and  I  wish 
to  please  grandmother,  for  several  reasons." 

In  such  conversation  they  passed  the  afternoon,  until 
madame  came  back  to  them,  Sappha  always  skilfully  parry- 

153 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


ing  Annette's  point  blank  questions,  by  others  just  as  direct; 
and  in  this  way  easily  leading  her  cousin  to  personal  subjects 
of  far  superior  interest  to  her  —  that  is,  her  own  lovers  and 
love  affairs.  Just  before  madame's  tea  hour  Leonard  came. 
He  was  in  the  highest  possible  spirits,  and  carried  himself  as 
if  something  very  important  had  happened  to  him  ;  as,  indeed, 
it  had. 

He  said  he  had  been  at  the  Bowling  Green,  and  found  no 
one  at  home.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  had  gone  to  drink  a  cup  of 
tea  with  Mrs.  Jane  Renwick,  and  hear  her  talk  of  "  poor 
Robert  Burns,"  who  had  sung  of  her  as  The  Blue-Eyed 
Lassie. 

"  Well,  then,  now  we  shall  find  out  if  Mr.  Washington 
Irving  is  in  New  York,  or  is  likely  to  be  here;  for  he  cer 
tainly  could  not  be  in  the  city  a  day  without  going  to  see 
Jane  Renwick,"  said  Annette. 

"  What  does  Sapphira  Bloommaert  or  Annette  de  Vries 
want  with  Mr.  Washington  Irving?"  asked  madame. 
"  Has  he  not  turned  the  respectable  Dutch  of  New  York  into 
ridicule  —  made  people  to  laugh  at  their  homely  ways.  Such 
laughter  is  not  good  for  them,  nor  yet  for  us." 

"  We  were  just  wondering  about  him,  grandmother  —  you 
know  he  is  a  possibility  now." 

"Annette  De  Vries!  " 

"  For  American  girls,  I  mean.  I  was  telling  Sappha  that 
little  Mary  Sanford  is  quite  willing  to  comfort  the  widowed 
lover." 

154 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  Such  silly  chatter  is  this!  Leonard,  have  you  news  more 
sensible?" 

"  I  think  I  have,  madame.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  to 
be  such  a  play  at  the  Park  Theatre  on  Thursday  night  as 
never  has  been  seen,  nor  is  ever  likely  to  be  seen  again.  I 
went  to  the  Bowling  Green  to  ask  Mrs.  Bloommaert  and 
Sappha  to  come  to  my  box,  and  now  I  come  here  to  tell  you. 
There  is  room  there  also  for  you  madame,  and  for  Annette. 
I  hope  you  will  do  me  the  great  honour  to  accept  my  invita 
tion  ;  "  and  he  rose  and  bowed  to  madame  first,  and  then  with 
a  charming  exaggeration  to  Sappha  and  Annette. 

Madame  put  off  answering  for  herself  and  Annette,  but 
Sappha  accepted  the  invitation  with  delight;  and  in  the 
conversation  incident  to  this  proposal,  and  the  asides  spring 
ing  readily  from  it,  the  daylight  faded  and  the  good  supper 
was  brought  in  and  thoroughly  enjoyed.  Then  the  table  was 
cleared,  and  the  hearth  swept,  and  the  candles  placed  on  the 
high  chimney  piece,  where  their  light  did  not  weary  madame's 
eyes;  and  the  little  company  drew  their  chairs  within  the 
comfort  line  of  the  blazing  fire. 

Annette  was  a  little  quieter  than  seemed  natural,  but  then 
Achille  had  not  called.  The  day  was  slipping  away  without 
his  customary  devotion,  and  Sappha  was  present  to  notice  this 
remissness  ;  it  was,  therefore,  very  annoying,  for  Annette  felt 
its  contradiction  after  her  little  fanfaronade  about  her  power 
over  the  impassioned,  sensitive  Achille  St.  Ange. 

Suddenly  Leonard  seemed  to  take  a  resolve,  or  else  the 

155 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


news  he  had  to  tell  urged  him  beyond  restraint.  He  looked 
at  Sappha  with  a  demanding  interest,  and  then  said: 
"  Madame,  I  remember  that  you  once  asserted  all  young  men 
ought  to  have  either  a  business  or  a  profession,  if  only  to  keep 
them  out  of  mischief.  I  have  this  day  concluded  to  begin  the 
study  of  the  law.  I  hope  I  may  thus  be  kept  out  of  mischief." 

"  Come,  now,  you  have  done  a  wise  thing,  Leonard  ;  I  am 
glad  of  what  you  say." 

"  I  feel  quite  satisfied,  madame,  that  I  have  done  right  — 
done  what  my  dear  father  would  approve,  if  he  were  alive  to 
direct  me.  And  yet,  at  last,  I  acted  without  taking  much 
thought  or  advice  on  the  subject." 

"  That  also  may  be  a  wise  thing,  Leonard.  Young  men 
sometimes  take  more  thought  than  is  good  for  purpose  —  they 
think  and  think  till  they  cannot  act." 

"As  I  say,  the  resolve  came  suddenly.  I  had  a  large  bill 
to  pay  two  days  ago  for  business  connected  with  my  real 
estate;  and  as  I  looked  at  it  I  thought,  Why  not  do  this 
business  myself?  Half  an  hour  afterwards  Mr.  King  said 
this  same  thing  to  me  ;  and  I  went  home  and  considered  the 
subject.  Then  I  called  on  several  good  business  men  and 
asked  them  who  was  the  best  real  estate  lawyer  in  the  city." 

"  Real  estate!  "  cried  madame,  "  then  you  are  not  going  to 
study  criminal  law?  " 

"  No,  no  I  I  want  to  know  all  about  the  laws  regulating 
the  buying  and  selling  of  property,  leasing,  mortgaging,  rent 
ing,  and  so  on  —  what  tenants  ought  to  do,  and  what  land- 

156 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


lords  ought  to  do  —  don't  you  see,  madame?"  He  said 
"  madame,"  but  he  looked  at  Sappha,  who  was  watching  him 
with  an  expression  more  speculative  than  approving. 

"  Yes,"  answered  madame,  "  I  see.  And  your  idea  is  a 
very  prudent  one.  Listen,  if  a  good  teacher  on  this  subject 
you  want,  go  and  article  yourself  to  Seth  Vanderlyn.  What 
he  does  not  know  about  real  estate  is  not  worth  knowing." 

"  Oh,  I  have  done  better  than  Seth  Vanderlyn  !  I  am 
going  to  read  with  Aaron  Burr  !  What  do  you  think  of  that  ? 
The  most  learned,  the  most  delightful,  the  most  eminent  of 
all  living  lawyers.  I  am  really  so  excited  at  my  good  for 
tune  I  know  not  what  to  say.  Mr.  King  and  Mr.  Read  and 
several  other  men  of  affairs  and  experience  told  me  I  had 
selected  a  lawyer  who  had  no  compeer  in  land  and  property 
business.  In  such  respect  they  all  said  I  had  done  well,  and 
for  other  matters,  I  was  the  best  judge.  I  suppose  they  re 
ferred  to  Mr.  Burr's  duelling  episode." 

Sappha's  face  expressed  only  dismay  and  distress.  She 
had  neither  a  word  nor  a  smile  for  Leonard's  great  news. 
He  turned  to  Annette.  She  was  lost  in  the  contemplation 
of  her  feet  —  which  were  small  and  beautifully  shod,  and  she 
silently  turned  them  in  and  out,  as  if  their  perfect  fit  was  the 
present  question  of  importance.  Madame's  brows  were 
drawn  together,  and  there  was  a  look  of  uncertainty  oh  her 
face.  In  a  moment  of  time  Leonard  saw  all  these  different 
signs  of  disapproval  and  dislike.  His  face  flushed  with  anger, 
and  he  continued  in  a  tone  of  offence: 

157 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GPvEEN 


"  I  thought  you  would  all  rejoice  with  me.  I  thought  you 
would  at  least  commend  the  step  I  had  taken  —  I  -  " 

"  It  is  no  good  step  for  you,"  answered  madame  in  a  voice 
of  regret.  "  If  with  bad  men  you  go  you  are  counted  one 
with  them  ;  if  with  doomed  men  you  go,  you  catch  misfortune 
from  them." 

"  I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean,  madame." 

"  Leonard,"  interrupted  Sappha,  "  you  have  not  asked 
my  father's  opinion?  If  you  had,  you  would  never  have 
taken  this  foolish  step." 

"  Foolish  step  ?  "  Why,  Sappha,  every  one  to  whom  I  have 
named  my  purpose  thinks  me  fortunate.  And  if  you  only 
knew  Mr.  Burr  you  would  confess  it  an  enormous  privilege 
to  be  under  his  advice  and  tuition.  He  is  the  most  fascinat 
ing  of  men." 

"  Fascinating  !  Yes,  that  is  right,"  said  madame.  "  His 
charm  I  know  well.  But  listen  to  me,  Leonard  Murray, 
this  is  a  fascination  to  be  thrown  off  —  it  is  no  good  for  you. 
All  of  your  friends,  do  you  wish  to  lose?  " 

"  Yes,  if  they  are  so  foolish  as  to  leave  me  because,  wanting 
instruction,  I  have  chosen  the  best  of  masters." 

"  Well,  then,  say  also,  the  most  unpopular  man  in  New 
York." 

"  Indeed,  madame,  you  are  mistaken,"  answered  Leonard 
warmly.  "  I  do  not  know  a  more  popular  man  than  Mr. 
Burr  in  New  York  to-day.  No  lawyer  has  a  larger  practice, 
and  during  the  few  hours  I  passed  in  his  office  the  last  two 

158 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


days  I  srw  there  the  most  honourable  and  influential  of  our 
citizens.  Every  one  treated  him  with  respect,  and  it  is  a 
fact  that  the  first  day  his  return  to  New  York  was  known 
five  hundred  gentlemen  called  on  him  before  he  slept  that 
night.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  within  twelve  days  after  he 
nailed  up  his  sign  in  Nassau  Street  he  received  two  thousand 
dollars  in  cash  fees.  His  business  is  now  large  and  lucrative, 
and  no  one  but  those  stupid  Tory  Federalists  are  against 
him." 

"  My  father  is  a  stupid  Tory  Federalist,  Leonard,"  said 
Sappha  coldly. 

"Oh,  how  unfortunate  I  am!  I  do  nothing  but  make 
mistakes  to-night.  Poor  Mr.  Burr!  A  majority  of  our 
great  men  have  fought  duels;  is  Mr.  Burr  to  be  the  scape 
goat  of  all  American  duellists  ?  De  Witt  Clinton,  though  his 
enemy,  admits  that  no  man  ever  received  provocation  so 
frequent,  so  irritating,  so  injurious,  and  so  untruthful,  as 
Burr  received  from  Alexander  Hamilton.  My  dear  friends, 
I  assure  you  that  Burr  has  more  defenders  than  his  victim." 

"  Very  likely,"  replied  Sappha  with  a  remarkable  show  of 
temper,  "  a  great  many  people  prefer  a  living  dog  to  a  dead 
lion." 

"  I  thought  I  was    sure    of    your    sympathy,    Sappha," 
answered  Leonard,  and  as  he  uttered  these  words   Annette 
rose   up   hastily,   clapped   her   hands   together,    and   said: 
"  Thank  goodness,  I  hear  Achille  St.  Ange's  footsteps!    Now 
we  shall  have  some  sensible  conversation."     She  ran  to  the 

159 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


door  and  set  it  wide  open,  and  Achille  saw  the  comforting 
firelight,  and  the  beautiful  girl  standing  in  its  glow,  waiting 
to  welcome  him.  It  gave  him  a  sense  of  content,  almost  of 
home  and  love.  He  came  in  holding  her  hand  ;  his  black  fur 
cloak  throwing  into  remarkable  significance  the  pallor  of  his 
haughty,  handsome  face,  lighted  by  eyes  of  intense  blackness 
and  brilliancy. 

Leonard  was  not  pleased  at  what  he  considered  the  in 
trusion,  but  Achille's  fine  manners  and  the  easy  tone  of  his 
conversation  were  really  a  welcome  relief  to  the  uncom 
fortable  strain  introduced  by  the  Burr  topic.  Achille  was 
cheery  and  agreeable,  and  had  plenty  of  those  little  critical 
things  to  say  of  acquaintances  every  one  likes  to  hear  —  criti 
cal,  but  not  unkindly  so.  This  night,  also,  he  was  even  un 
usually  handsome,  and  his  sumptuous  dress  only  in  the 
diapason  of  the  general  air  of  luxury  which  was  the  distin 
guishing  quality  of  his  life. 

To  the  gay  persiflage  of  his  conversation  madame  paid 
little  attention.  She  was  lost  in  thoughtful  reminiscence, 
and  when  she  re-entered  the  society  of  those  around  her 
she  returned  to  the  conversation  which  the  entrance  of 
Achille  had  interrupted. 

"  I  have  been  taking  thought,  Leonard,"  she  said,  "  and 
I  wonder  me  at  you!  Of  good  days  are  you  tired?  If  so, 
then  join  yourself  to  Aaron  Burr.  I  am  not  pleased  that 
you  should  do  this,  but  so,  nothing  will  help,  I  fear  —  at  least 
no  ordinary  advice." 

160 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  Is  not  that  a  hard  thing  to  say,  madame?  " 

"  Very  well,  but  it  is  the  truth.  So  then,  to  make  short 
work  of  it,  no  ordinary  advice  will  I  give  you;  but  an  ex 
traordinary  reason,  that  may  perhaps  turn  your  mind  another 
way.  I  know  not  —  there  are  none  so  blind  as  those  who  will 
not  see." 

"  First,  madame,  permit  me  to  ask  Mr.  St.  Ange,  in  your 
presence,  if  he  thinks  I  require  either  ordinary  or  extraordi 
nary  arguments  against  the  course  I  have  marked  out  for 
myself." 

Madame  moved  her  head  in  assent,  and  then  Leonard,  in 
a  few  sentences,  told  Achille  of  his  proposed  study  with  Mr. 
Burr,  and  asked  him  frankly  "  if  he  considered  Mr.  Burr's 
duelling  experience  inimical  to  business  relations  with  him  ?  " 

And  Achille  answered  promptly:  "If  Mr.  Burr  had  not 
fought  Mr.  Hamilton  I  should  consider  your  engagement 
with  him  disastrous,  both  to  your  social  and  business  reputa 
tion.  Mr.  Hamilton  had  slandered  Mr.  Burr  in  public  and 
in  private,  and  even  while  Mr.  Burr  supposed  him  to  be  his 
friend  he  had  disseminated  the  unguarded  sallies  of  his  host 
while  a  guest  at  his  dinner  table.  As  I  understand  the  sub 
ject,  Mr.  Burr  had  no  alternative  between  two  inexorable 
facts  —  to  fight,  which  might  mean  physical  death;  not  to 
fight,  which  would  certainly  mean  social  and  political  death. 
Mr.  Burr  had,  I  think,  a  too  great  patience.  I  would  have 
appealed  to  the  sword  to  stop  the  tongue  long  before  Mr. 
Burr  did." 

161 


THE    BELLE   OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Leonard  was  delighted  and  grateful,  and  said  so,  and 
Achille  added  :  "  We  must  remember  that  Cheetham,  who 
edited  Hamilton's  newspaper,  asked  the  public  through  that 
organ  :  '  Is  the  Vice-President  sunk  so  low  as  to  submit  to  be 
insulted  by  General  Hamilton  ?  '  It  seems  to  me  then  that 
Cheetham  really  sent  the  challenge  to  Mr.  Burr,  and  that 
the  Vice-President  had  no  honourable  alternative.  He  had 
to  fight  or  be  eternally  branded  a  poltroon,  a  dastardly 
coward  !  "  And  he  uttered  these  shameful  words  with  such 
passionate  scorn  that  they  seemed  to  disturb  the  air  like  wild 
fire. 

"  About  duelling  there  may  be  two  opinions,"  said 
Madame,  "  but  when  treason  is  the  question,  wrhat  then?  " 

"  But  that  question  was  settled  by  Mr.  Burr's  trial, 
madame,"  answered  Leonard.  "  The  law  and  the  testi 
mony,  the  judge,  and  the  jury  decided  that  Mr.  Burr  was  not 
guilty  of  treason.  Should  we  go  behind  that  settlement?" 

"  The  people  have  gone  behind  it,  and  will  do  so." 

"  I  doubt  that  as  a  final  result,"  said  Leonard.  "  Many 
are  of  Mr.  Vanderlyn's  opinion,  that  the  natural  boundaries 
of  the  United  States  are  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  and  that 
all  foreign  authority  must  be  got  rid  of  within  that  territory. 
If  Aaron  Burr  did  not  succeed,  he  thought  others  would." 

"  But  Aaron  Burr  would  have  set  up  a  monarchy  for  him 
self." 

"  That  is  not  conceivable,  madame.  I  said  so  to  Mr. 
Vanderlyn,  and  he  laughed  at  the  idea.  He  said,  '  Burr  had 

162 


remarkable  military  genius,  and  that  his  object  was  to  atone 
for  his  political  failure  by  some  great  military  feat,  but 
whatever  the  feat  he  contemplated,  it  would  have  been  in  the 
end  for  his  country.'  Vanderlyn  put  aside  all  evidence  to 
the  contrary,  because  given  by  men  who  had  been  at  first  con 
federate  with  Burr,  and  then  betrayed  him.  What  reliance 
could  be  placed  on  anything  such  men  said  ?  I  believe,"  said 
Leonard,  with  confident  fervour,  "  that  Mr.  Burr  will  out 
live  the  memory  of  his  faults  and  attain  yet  the  success  his 
great  abilities  deserve." 

"  He  will  not!  "  said  madame.  "  The  hatred  of  the  liv 
ing  a  man  may  fight,  and  hope  to  conquer,  but  the  vengeance 
of  the  dead,  who  then  can  escape  that?  Sooner  or  later  it 
drives  '  the  one  followed  '  to  destroy  himself.  This  trouble 
began  twelve  years  gone  by.  Hamilton  and  Burr  called  it  to 
themselves,  that  night  they  tricked  justice,  slandered  the  in 
nocent,  and  let  the  guilty  go  free.  Snuff  the  candles,  Achille, 
the  room  is  full  of  shadows;  more  light  give  us,  and  I  will 
tell  you  when,  and  how,  the  doom  of  both  men  was  called  to 
them." 

There  was  a  few  minutes'  delay,  during  which  the  silence 
was  unbroken,  and  then  madame  continued: 

"  It  was  in  the  year  of  God  eighteen  hundred,  in  the 
month  of  March,  and  we  had  come  near  to  the  spring.  Mr. 
Hamilton  was  then  of  all  the  lawyers  in  New  York  the 
most  famous,  and  it  was  one  of  the  sights  of  the  city  to  see 
him  going  to  court  with  his  papers  and  books.  In  that  month 

163 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


came  the  trial  of  Levi  Weekes  for  the  murder  of  the  beauti 
ful  Gulielma  Sands,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Burr  were 
united  in  the  defence  of  Weekes.  Very  well  indeed  I  knew 
Elma  Sands,  for  she  lived  with  her  uncle  and  aunt  Ring, 
who  were  tenants  of  mine  for  many  years.  At  the  time  of 
her  murder  they  lived  in  Greenwich  Street,  near  Franklin  ; 
and  Weekes  boarded  with  them.  He  was  a  brother  of  Ezra 
Weekes,  who  kept  the  famous  City  Hotel,  and  with  his 
brother  he  could  have  boarded.  But  not  so,  with  the  Rings 
he  stayed,  because  of  Elma,  and  every  one  said  they  were 
promised  to  each  other,  and  when  the  spring  came  were  to 
be  married.  Well,  then,  this  dreadful  thing  happened  —  Elma 
Sands  went  out  with  Levi  Weekes  one  Sunday  in  December, 
1799,  and  never  again  was  she  seen  by  any  one.  Distracted 
were  her  uncle  and  aunt,  and  everywhere,  far  and  near,  Elma 
was  sought.  It  was  no  good.  What  I  could  do,  I  did,  for 
I  had  watched  the  orphan  girl  grow  from  her  childhood  to 
her  womanhood,  and  so  sorry  also  was  I  for  the  uncle  and 
aunt,  who  slept  not,  nor  yet  rested,  and  whose  terrible  sus 
pense  was  ended  in  five  weeks,  by  the  finding  of  Elma's  body 
in  a  well  eighty  feet  deep.  Then  the  city  went  wild  about 
her  murder  ;  for  the  appearance  of  the  body  left  no  room  for 
doubt  as  to  what  poor  Elma's  fate  had  been  ;  and  every  one 
felt  quite  sure  that  Levi  Weekes  was  the  criminal."  Here 
madame  paused  and  appeared  to  be  much  affected,  and 
Achille,  without  a  word,  pushed  a  glass  of  water  closer  to  her, 
and  having  drank  of  it,  she  continued: 

164 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  It  was  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Burr  that  defended  the 
prisoner;  the  prosecutor  was  Cadwallader  D.  Golden,  and 
Chief  Justice  Lansing  was  the  judge.  On  both  sides  there 
were  great  lawyers,  and  the  trial  was  long  and  wearisome; 
but  never  were  Elias  Ring  and  his  wife  absent  from  it,  no, 
not  for  one  hour.  So  the  end  came  at  last.  It  was  a  stormy 
night  in  April  that  it  came,  and  very  late,  and  the  court  room 
was  but  dimly  lighted,  for  some  of  the  candles  had  burned 
themselves  away,  and  had  not  been  renewed,  and  the  people 
had  been  listening  to  Hamilton's  speech,  and  thinking  of 
nothing  else.  A  great  speech  it  was ;  my  son  Judge  Bloom- 
maert  told  me  it  was  wonderful ;  and  though  every  one  was 
worn  out,  none  left  the  building. 

"  Then  Aaron  Burr  arose.  Some  facts  he  set  forth  in  such 
a  way  as  to  throw  all  suspicion  on  the  chief  witness  against 
Weekes ;  and  while  people  were  amazed  at  the  charge,  and  no 
time  had  been  given  to  examine  it,  or  deny  it,  he  lifted  two 
candles  from  the  table  and  flashed  them  in  the  face  of  the 
man  he  had  accused ;  and  as  he  did  this  thing  he  cried  out  in 
a  voice  like  doom:  'Gentlemen,  behold  the  murderer!' 
Shocked  and  terrified  was  the  man,  and  like  a  foolish  one  he 
rushed  from  the  room;  and  this  cry  of  Aaron  Burr's  the 
weary,  excited  jury  took  for  the  truth,  and  so  then,  Lev! 
Weekes  was  declared  '  not  guilty.'  Stupefied  were  all  pres 
ent,  and  before  they  could  recover  themselves  from  their 
astonishment  Catherine  Ring  stood  up.  She  was  a  Quaker 
ess  and  to  speak  in  public  accustomed,  and  so,  lifting  her  face 

165 


1 


HE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  hands  to  heaven  she  refused  the  verdict;  and  gave  the 
case  '  to  the  justice  of  God  and  the  vengeance  of  the  Dead! ' 

"  I  say  plainly,  every  one  was  thrilled  with  awe  and  ter 
ror.  Her  voice  was  low  and  even,  but  straight  to  every  heart 
it  went;  and  those  furthest  away  heard  it  clear  and  fateful 
as  those  close  at  her  side.  Mr.  Hamilton  began  to  put  up 
his  papers,  but  she  stepped  close  to  his  side  and  said :  '  Alex 
ander  Hamilton,  if  there  be  justice  in  heaven,  heaven  will 
see  that  thee  dies  a  bloody  death;  and  thy  helper  shall  help 
thee  to  it ! '  At  these  words  Burr  rose,  and  looked  at  her 
with  a  smile,  and  she  continued,  '  Take  thy  time,  Aaron  Burr- 
Thee  need  not  hurry;  thee  will  long  for  death,  long  before 
death  will  have  thee.  Nay,  but  thee  shall  be  a  dead  man 
long  before  thee  can  hide  thyself  in  the  grave.  And  all  that 
we  have  suffered  in  that  long  month  of  not  knowing,  thee 
shall  suffer  many  times  over.  Dost  thee  think  God  had  no 
witness  in  this  room?  Go  thy  way,  Alexander  Hamilton! 
Go  thy  way,  Aaron  Burr!  There  is  one  that  follows  after! ' 
She  turned  then  to  Judge  Lansing,  but  he  had  left  the  bench. 
Then  she  touched  her  husband's  arm,  and  said :  '  Come,  Ellas, 
the  unrighteous  judge  cannot  escape  the  righteous  one. 
Some  day  he  will  go  out,  and  be  heard  of  no  more  forever.'* 

"  And  here  is  the  wonderful  thing — all  the  time  she  was 
dooming  these  three  great  men  not  one  soul  moved  or 
spoke.  The  entire  audience  sat  or  stood  silent  and  motion 
less;  and  when  out  of  the  court-room  they  went,  it  was  as  if 
they  were  leaving  a  church.  And  Elias  and  Catherine  Ring 

*  In  November,  1 829,  twenty-five  years  later,  Judge  Lansing  left 
his  hotel  in  New  York  to  take  steamboat  for  Albany,  and  was  never 
seen  or  heard  of  afterward. 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 

C»0<2S^W<S2>»M<S=»000«^5>OCO<^3>OCO<:^s>«00<^3>«CO<^z>C<)0<^3>«Ofl<^5»i>»<S3»9»<SS>««» 

passed  through  them,  and  though  they  had  the  pity  and  re 
spect  of  all  there,  no  one  spoke  to  them,  and  no  one  stayed 
them.  For  every  word  of  doom  Catherine  Ring  had  uttered 
had  been  heard;  and  her  inspired  face  spoke  to  the  crowd; 
Elias  walking  at  her  side  praying  aloud  as  he  walked. 

"  My  son  Gerardus  was  present  during  the  entire  trial ; 
he  heard  all,  he  saw  all,  and  he  told  me  the  story  I  have  just 
told  you.  And  what  I  say  is  the  truth — Hamilton's  earthly 
doom  has  been  fulfilled;  Burr  is  yet  learning  the  unpitying 
vengence  of  the  dead.  That  insane  idea  of  conquest,  who 
drove  him  to  it?  Who,  at  the  critical  hour,  turned  his  con 
federates  against  him?  Who  sent  him  to  wander  in  Europe 
a  degraded,  desperate  man?  What  a  cup  of  shame  and  pov 
erty  he  drank  there,  I  and  a  few  others  know.  Then, 
when  reckless  with  his  misfortune,  back  he  comes  to  New 
York,  and  for  a  short  time  he  is  lifted  up  by  the  many  old 
acquaintances  who  remember  his  abilities  and  his  sufferings. 
But  only  to  be  cast  down  is  he  lifted  up.  In  less  than  one 
month  he  hears  of  the  death  of  his  grandson,  a  beautiful,  in 
telligent  boy  of  twelve  years  old,  on  whom  all  his  future 
hopes  were  built.  A  terrible  blow  it  was,  but  only  the  be 
ginning  of  sorrow.  Six  months  afterwards  his  idolised 
daughter  left  Charleston  for  New  York.  She  was  heart 
broken  by  the  loss  of  her  son,  and  was  coming  to  her  father 
to  be  comforted.  She  sailed  on  the  thirtieth  of  December, 
1811,  A.  D.,  and  ought  to  have  been  in  New  York  about  the 
fifth  of  January.  She  did  not  come.  She  never  came.  She 

167 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


was  never  heard  of  again.  It  was  then  Catherine  Ring's 
promised  retribution  overtook  him.  Who  can  tell  what 
agonies  of  suspense  he  endured?  There  was  daily  hope, 
and  there  was  daily  despair!  Such  nights  of  grief!  Such 
days  of  watching!  His  worst  unfriends  pitied  him.  To 
have  heard  of  the  unhappy  woman  would  have  pleased  every 
one;  but  no,  no,  never  a  word  came.  When  some  weeks 
were  gone  over,  there  was  a  report  that  the  ship  in  which  she 
sailed  had  been  taken  by  pirates,  and  all  on  board  murdered 
except  Mr.  Burr's  daughter.  She,  it  was  said,  had  been 
put  on  shore  a  captive.  The  miserable  man  !  He  would 
not,  he  could  not,  bear  this  idea.  He  said  to  me  one  morn 
ing,  as  I  talked  with  him  at  the  garden  gate,  '  Theodosia  is 
dead  !  If  she  were  not  all  the  prisons  in  the  world  could  not 
keep  her  from  me  !  '  Well,  then,  all  of  you  must  remember 
the  loss  of  Theodosia  Burr  Alston  ?  " 

"  I  was  in  New  Orleans  at  the  time,"  said  Leonard.  "  I 
heard  nothing  there,  or  if  so,  have  forgotten." 

"  I  also  was  in  New  Orleans,"  said  Achille.  "  I  do  not 
remember  —  no,  not  at  all." 

"  I  do  remember,"  said  Sappha.  "  Mother  was  very  sorry 
for  Mr.  Burr.  We  often  spoke  of  him." 

"  You  never  told  me  about  it,  grandmother,"  added 
Annette.  "  Why  did  you  not  ?" 

"  Good  reasons  had  I.  So  much  was  there  to  say  that 
could  not  be  talked  about.  A  great  many  people  had  yet  in 
mind  Catherine  Ring's  words,  and  so  Aaron  Burr's  long 

168 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


watch  for  the  child  that  never  came  was  quietly  and  piti 
fully  passed  over.  Yes,  people  remember;  and  if  they  do  not 
remember  they  feel  —  they  feel,  they  know,  not  what.  I  have 
watched.  One  by  one,  I  have  seen  those  that  welcomed 
Aaron  Burr  home  drop  away  from  him.  This  day  a  man 
stops  and  greets  him,  to-morrow  he  passes  him  by.  The  un 
lucky,  they  only  stick  to  him;  because  for  a  familiar  they 
know  him.  Aaron  Burr  is  a  doomed  man  —  haunted  by  the 
wraiths  of  those  he  has  wronged  —  a  doomed  man,  and  noth 
ing  that  he  does  shall  ever  prosper." 

She  ceased  speaking  with  these  words,  and  after  some 
desultory  conversation  on  the  subject,  Sappha  said,  "  she  must 
go  home."  Then  Annette  went  upstairs  with  her,  and 
Achille  made  an  effort  to  continue  the  subject;  but  neither 
madame  nor  yet  Leonard  were  disposed  for  discussion  ;  and 
when  Sappha  returned  to  the  parlour,  cloaked  and  wrapped 
in  furs,  Leonard  hastily  assumed  his  street  costume  and  went 
out  with  her.  Then  the  conversation,  the  warmth,  and  the 
drowsy  light,  added  to  the  unusual  feeling  which  the  Ring 
tragedy  had  evoked,  produced  an  effect  upon  madame  she  did 
not  anticipate  —  she  gradually  lost  consciousness,  and  finally 
fell  asleep.  For  a  while  Achille  and  Annette  spoke  in 
whispers,  and  Annette  tried  all  her  powers  to  win  from  her 
companion  the  secret  madame  made  so  much  of.  He  dallied 
with  it,  but  kept  it  inviolate;  and  she  dropped  her  pretty 
head  with  a  sense  of  defeat  that  the  circumstance  hardly 
seemed  to  warrant.  Quiet  and  speechless  she  sat,  and  Achille 

169 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


held  her  hand  and  watched  the  shadow  of  disappointment 
obliterate  the  dimples  and  smiles,  not  always  as  becoming  in 
his  eyes  as  her  graver  deportment.  The  glow  of  the  fire 
light,  the  stillness  thrilled  through  and  through  with  that 
old  tragedy  of  love,  the  look  of  defeat  in  Annette's  pretty 
face,  and  her  whole  attitude  of  submission  to  it,  pleased  the 
young  man.  He  thought  her  more  womanly  and  exquisite 
than  ever  before;  and  he  kissed  the  hand  he  held,  and  said  in 
the  softest,  sweetest  voice:  "  I  cannot  tell  you  madame's 
secret,  but  I  will  tell  you  one  of  my  own — Annette,  beautiful 
Annette,  I  love  you." 

And  Annette  behaved  with  the  most  amazing  propriety. 
He  felt  the  little  hand  he  held  tremble  to  his  words,  and  he 
saw  on  her  face  the  transfiguration  of  love,  though  she  did 
not  lift  it,  or  answer  him  in  any  other  way.  But  this  coy 
reticence  was  exactly  the  conduct  Achille  approved ;  and  in 
that  dim  room,  where  only  sleep  kept  vigil,  Achille  asked 
Annette  to  be  his  wife,  and  Annette  answered  him  as  he 
desired. 

"  I  shall  speak  to  madame  in  the  morning,"  he  said ;  "to 
night  it  will  be  too  much." 

"  It  is  too  much  even  for  me,"  answered  Annette ;  "  I 
never  dreamed  of  being  so  happy." 

"  Nor  I,"  answered  the  fortunate  lover.  He  then  sur 
rendered  himself  to  her  charm.  He  forgot  how  often  he  had 
privately  declared  he  would  never  do  so ;  forgot  how  often 
he  had  told  himself  that  Annette  de  Vries  was  a  beauty  with 

170 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


a  heart  like  a  little  glacier.  As  for  Annette,  she  was  satisfied. 
In  the  first  days  of  her  acquaintance  with  Achille  St.  Ange 
she  had  resolved  to  be  his  wife;  and  her  resolve  was  now 
in  process  of  accomplishment.  And  after  all,  it  had  not 
been  a  difficult  end  to  attain ;  a  little  love,  a  little  listening, 
a  little  patience,  a  little  persistence,  and  the  man  was  won. 
It  was  only  another  case  of  proving  the  folly  of  any  resist 
ance  to  invincible  woman.  For  has  not  all  experience  proved 
that  if  a  woman  seriously  determines  to  marry  a  certain 
man  she  is  about  as  sure  to  accomplish  her  end  as  if,  wishing 
to  reach  Washington,  she  entered  a  train  bound  for  that  city? 

During  this  scene  between  Annette  and  Achille  Sappha 
and  Leonard  Murray  were  walking  in  the  clear,  frosty 
starlight.  They  were  lovers,  but  their  conversation  was 
too  anxious  to  be  loverlike.  Sappha  was  entreating  Leonard 
to  cancel  his  engagement  with  Mr.  Burr.  She  was  sure 
if  he  did  not  her  father  would  permit  no  engagement  with 
his  daughter.  "  You  will  have  to  choose,"  she  said,  "  between 
Mr.  Burr  and  myself.  You  cannot  take  both  into  your  life, 
Leonard;  I  am  sure  it  is  impossible."  She  did  not  name 
the  Ring  tragedy.  She  was  far  less  impressed  by  it  than 
Leonard  had  been.  It  was  her  father's  opposition  she  feared. 

Not  so  Leonard.  He  had  inherited  from  his  Scotch  an 
cestors  a  vivid  vein  of  supernatural  tendency.  His  own 
clan  had  numerous  traditions  of  posthumous  revenge,  so 
vindictive  that  Leonard's  first  unconscious  commentary  on 
madame's  narrative  was  the  whispered  exclamation — only 

171 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


heard  by  Achilla  —  "  The  vengeance  of  the  dead  is  terrible  !  " 
But  if  there  was  this  latent  fear  in  his  heart,  mingled  with 
the  personal  one  that  association  might  include  him  in  that 
vengeance,  the  feeling  was  strongly  combated  by  another 
inherited  tendency,  so  vital  as  to  be  almost  beyond  reasoning 
with  —  the  sentiment  of  loyalty  to  a  person  or  a  cause  to 
which  he  had  once  given  his  allegiance.  It  had  been  a  kind 
of  insanity  in  his  clan,  for  they  had  always  gathered  to 
the  last  man  in  the  cause  of  their  exiled  kings,  though  they 
knew  right  well  that  to  stand  by  the  Stuarts  was  to  stand 
by  misfortune  and  death. 

So,  tossed  between  these  two  horns  of  a  dilemma,  Leonard 
could  not  make  Sappha  the  unconditional  promise  she  asked. 
He  had  given  to  Aaron  Burr  a  fealty  founded  on  an  intense 
admiration  for  his  great  abilities  and  his  great  wrongs.  The 
physical  charm  of  the  man  had  also  fascinated  Leonard,  as 
it  fascinated  almost  every  one  who  came  fairly  under  its 
influence;  and  thus,  though  warned  by  one  ancestral  strain 
to  retire  from  some  malignity  he  could  not  control,  he  was 
urged  forward  by  another  sentiment  which  put  his  word, 
his  honour,  his  friendship,  and  his  loyalty  before  all  other 
considerations. 

These  underlying  motives  of  action  were  but  partially 
understood  by  Leonard,  and  were  not  comprehended  in  any 
measure  by  Sappha.  But  at  eighteen  years  of  age  we  do  not 
need  to  know,  in  order  to  feel  ;  we  can  feel  without  knowl 
edge  ;  and  Sappha  was  certain  that  the  association  of  her  lover 

172 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


with  a  man  so  unfortunate  as  Mr.  Burr  would  include  both 
of  them  in  its  inimical  proneness  to  calamity. 

The  mingling  of  these  elements  in  Leonard's  nature  must 
be  recognised  before  we  can  understand  how  a  lover,  ear 
nest  and  devoted,  could  hesitate  about  casting  adrift  a 
friendship  so  recent  when  it  threatened  a  tie  still  fonder  and 
more  personal.  But  the  most  invulnerable  sentiments  a 
man  has  to  conquer  are  those  he  brings  with  him  from  pre 
vious  incarnations.  Prejudices  and  opinions  planted  in  his 
mind  during  last  year,  or  the  present  year,  will  have  a 
demonstrative  vitality;  but  there  is  a  stubborn  quality  about 
those  we  bring  with  us  that  is  only  gained  by  passing  through 
the  grave  and  tasting  of  immortality.  If  Sappha's  and  Leon 
ard's  love  for  each  other  was  not  of  the  past,  then  it  was 
hardly  one  year  old  ;  yet  she  was  demanding  for  it  a  sacrifice 
of  feelings  incorporate  in  Leonard's  nature  from  unknown 
centuries. 

They  walked  together  talking  only  of  Mr.  Burr  for 
more  than  an  hour  ;  then  Sappha  said  "  she  was  cold  and 
must  go  into  the  house."  She  was  not  so  much  cold  as 
weary.  We  are  always  weary  when  we  do  not  understand, 
and  Sappha  could  not  understand  why  Mr.  Burr  should 
interfere  in  her  affairs.  At  the  door  Leonard  spoke  to  her 
about  the  theatre  on  Friday  night,  and  she  promised  to  give 
her  father  and  mother  his  invitation.  "  It  is  too  late  to 
detain  you  longer,  my  beloved,"  he  said;  "but  I  will  call 
early  in  the  morning  for  the  answer.  I  hope  they  will 

173 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


accept  my  offer.  It  will  make  me  very  proud  and 
happy." 

Sappha  was  sure  that  her  mother  would  do  so.  "  My 
father  is  always  uncertain,"  she  said,  "  but  I  think  he  will 
go  if  I  ask  him." 

In  the  morning,  however,  there  was  no  question  of  nam 
ing  the  subject.  The  judge  had  come  home  late  the  previous 
night,  and  even  then  was  suffering  all  the  premonitory 
symptoms  of  an  attack  of  gout.  Sappha  was  accustomed 
to  these  evil  periods,  and  quite  aware  that  all  Leonard's 
plans  were  useless.  For  no  one  but  Mrs.  Bloommaert  and 
the  two  negro  men  who  nursed  the  judge  were  likely  to  see 
him;  or,  if  they  were  wise,  to  want  to  see  him;  and  Sappha 
was  compelled  to  add  disappointment  to  the  already  restless 
dissatisfaction  which  had  somehow  invaded  the  love  which 
Leonard  really  bore  her. 

The  morning  interview  was,  moreover,  very  hurried. 
Leonard  was  going  to  court  to  hear  Mr.  Burr  argue  a  cer 
tain  case,  and  though  he  did  not  tell  Sappha  this,  she  felt 
that  Mr.  Burr  was  the  cause  of  her  lover's  unusual  haste. 
Before  he  knew  this  objectionable  person  he  had  never 
worried  about  time;  now  he  was  constantly  consulting  his 
watch.  She  felt  as  if  their  love  had  been  mingled  with  some 
element  that  robbed  it  of  its  immortal  beauty  and  bound 
it  to  the  slavery  of  hours  and  minutes;  nay,  she  could  not 
have  defined  her  sense  of  loss,  even  thus  far,  accurately  ;  she 
was  only  wistfully  conscious  of  a  change  that  was  not  a  gain. 

174 


Leonard  came  early  in  the  morning,  and  was  bitterly 
disappointed  to  find  that  his  little  plan  was  absolutely 
abortive.  The  judge  was  suffering  much,  and  the  sub 
ject  had  not  even  been  named  to  him.  Mrs.  Bloommaert, 
indeed,  rather  fretfully  interrupted  Sappha  in  the  midst  of 
her  delivery  of  Leonard's  invitation.  "The  theatre!"  she 
ejaculated.  "  If  you  were  in  your  father's  room  for  ten 
minutes  you  would  not  have  the  courage  to  name  the  place. 
I  am  sorry,  of  course,  but  theatre-going  is  out  of  the  ques 
tion.  Leonard  does  seem  so  unfortunate !  " 

"  Do  not  be  unjust,  mother;  don't  you  think  it  is  father 
that  is  unfortunate?  And  then  his  misfortune  makes  you 
suffer,  and  I  also;  for  I  did  want  to  go  to  the  theatre  on 
Friday  night  so  much.  I  suppose  Annette  will  be  disap 
pointed  also,  for  of  course  she  cannot  go  with  Achille 
alone.  They  were,  no  doubt,  calculating  on  your  presence." 

"  It  cannot  be  helped,  Sappha.  Your  father  must  not  be 
left;  my  place  is  with  him.  I  suppose  Mrs.  Clark  will  be 
going.  Leonard  and  you  can  join  her  party." 

But  when  this  proposition  was  made  to  Leonard  he  re 
fused  it  without  reservation.  He  was  certain  that  the  Clark 
party  was  already  complete,  and  he  showed  a  touch  of  stub 
bornness  in  temper  that  pained  and  astonished  Sappha.  If 
he  could  not  have  his  pleasure  exactly  as  he  wished  it,  there 
was  no  longer  any  pleasure  in  it;  and  he  said  with  an  air 
of  intense  chagrin: 

"  I  shall  be  the  only  young  man  of  my  circle  who  will  not 

175 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


be  there  with  the  girl  he  loves  and  the  family  into  which 
he  hopes  to  be  admitted.  I  feel  it  very  much."  And  with 
these  words  he  went  away. 

All  morning  Sappha  sat  in  a  kind  of  listless  grief.  She 
was  in  a  mesh  of  circumstances  against  whose  evil  influence 
she  was  powerless.  Nothing  could  avail.  The  morning  was 
damp  and  cold  and  full  of  melancholy,  the  house  strangely 
still;  she  could  not  sew,  she  could  not  read,  she  could  only 
suffer.  And  at  eighteen  years  of  age  suffering  is  so  acute,  it 
seems  to  youth's  dreams  of  happiness  such  a  wrong ;  and  the 
reasonable  indifference  of  age  has,  to  its  impatience,  the 
very  spirit  of  cruelty. 

About  noon  Mrs.  Bloommaert  came  into  the  room.  She 
had  a  letter  in  her  hand,  and  there  was  a  singular  ex 
pression  of  discomposure  both  on  her  countenance  and  in  the 
fretful  way  in  which  she  held  the  missive  in  her  outstretched 
hand. 

"  Sappha,"  she  said,  "  here  comes  news  indeed !  Your 
grandmother  kas  written  to  tell  us  that  last  night  Achille 
St.  Ange  asked  Annette  to  marry  him.  And  of  course  An 
nette  accepted  the  offer,"  commented  Annette's  aunt. 
"  Your  grandmother  seems  delighted  with  the  match." 

"  They  will  suit  each  other  very  well,  mother.  I  am  sure 
they  will  be  happy.  I  must  go  and  congratulate  Annette." 

"  Not  to-day.  They  both  went,  early  this  morning, 
with  the  news,  to  grandfather  De  Vries,  and  of  course  that 
is  a  day's  visit." 

176 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


"  As  he  is  the  guardian  of  her  estate,  Annette  would  have 
to  ask  him  for  money;  for  she  will  now  want  a  great  deal 
of  it.  I  am  glad  she  is  going  to  marry  Achille  ;  she  has  loved 
him  ever  since  they  met." 

"  Annette  loves  Annette  first  and  best  of  all.  But  she 
has  plenty  of  sense,  and  she  knows  that  a  girl  of  twenty-one 
has  no  chances  to  throw  away." 

"  Annette  looks  about  seventeen,  mother,  and  she  has  more 
lovers  than  I  ever  had." 

"  That  is  because  you  allowed  every  one  to  see  your  pref 
erence  for  Leonard  Murray.  Besides,  what  you  say  is  not 
so.  In  spite  of  your  partiality,  no  girl  in  New  York  has 
more  admirers  than  Sapphira  Bloommaert." 

"  I  prefer  Leonard  to  all  I  ever  had,  or  might  have  had." 

"  Yes.  I  know.  Very  foolish,  too  !  Your  father  does 
not  like  him;  he  will  never  give  a  willing  consent  to  your 
marriage  with  him  —  and  girls  ought  to  marry  before  they 
are  Annette's  age.  In  fact,  I  have  thought  her  a  little  old- 
maidish  for  a  year  past." 

"Oh,  mother!    Now  you  are  joking  -  " 

"  Too  affected  —  too  full  of  pouts,  and  shrugs  and  pirou 
ettes;  things  very  pretty  when  a  girl  is  fifteen  or  sixteen, 
but  quite  old-maidish  airs  at  twenty-one." 

"  Mother,  Annette  never  looked  more  than  seventeen,  and 
she  is  not  quite  twenty-one." 

"  I  think  she  looks  every  day  of  her  age.  She  is  more 
than  two  years  older  than  you;  and  two  years,  when  a  girl 

177 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

OCC<^r^W<^^OQ<C^^OCO<£^>COQ<^^COO«^?^ftOO<^g*^^ 

is  in  her  teens,  is  a  great  deal.  Well,  well,  I  thought  you 
would  have  been  married  first." 

"  If  father  and  you  were  willing,  I  could  be  married  at 
once.  Leonard  would  be  glad ;  but " 

"  Oh,  yes!  we  all  know  how  soon  '  but '  comes;  but,  you 
want  your  own  way ;  but,  father  wants  his  way ;  but " 

"  Mother  wants  her  way  also." 

"  No,  no !  Mother  is  willing  for  any  way  that  works  for 
others'  happiness — and  Leonard  is  well  enough,  only  things 
seem  always  to  go  contrary  for  him  and  you." 

"  Dear  mother,  somebody  once  said  the  course  of  true 
love  never  did  run  smooth.  Leonard  loves  me  truly — for 
myself  only.  He  is  rich,  and  I  am  not  rich.  He  could 
marry  any  girl  he  desires  in  New  York,  but  he  loves  me. 
Is  not  that  worth  counting  in  his  favour?  " 

"  I  never  said  different,  Sappha." 

"  Annette  is  very  rich ;  Leonard  could  have  married  An 
nette." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it.  I  should  not  wonder  if  Mr.  St. 
Ange  knows  the  exact  amount  of  her  fortune.  Frenchmen 
are  not  indifferent  to  a  fortune  in  their  brides.  I  know  that. 
It  is  a  national  custom  to  consider  it.  St.  Ange  will  have 
a  difficult  interview  with  old  De  Vries!  I  would  like  very 
much  to  be  present.  De  Vries  will  fight  every  dollar  di 
verted  from  Annette's  control.  Oh,  yes !  he  will  fight  them, 
cent  by  cent." 

"  Mother,  dear,  I  do  not  think  Achille  has  given  An- 
I78 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 

03ft^^^tO«S^^'W^^^000^^>030*=^=^009^^^000^^>03()«3:s>Oi0<C^>000^S^>00^^^>W«£^S>08& 

nette's  money  a  moment's  consideration.  I  do  believe  he 
loves  her  sincerely.  He  did  not  wish  to  love  her.  He 
fought  the  feeling  for  a  long  time ;  both  Annette  and  I  knew 
it,  and  Annette  has  often  laughed  at  the  way  he  held  out. 
But  she  always  said,  when  we  spoke  of  the  subject,  '  He  is 
not  invincible,  some  day  he  will  surrender.'  I  want  to  tell 
her  how  glad  I  am." 

"  You  cannot  do  so  to-day.  It  is  evident  they  intended 
a  long  visit,  for  your  grandmother  says  in  a  postscript,  '  Tell 
Sappha  to  come  very  early  in  the  morning.  I  want  particu 
larly  to  see  her.'  " 

Here  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  violent  ring 
ing  of  the  judge's  bedroom  bell;  and  the  echo  of  a  demand 
ing  voice  whose  tenor  could  not  be  mistaken.  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert  threw  her  mother-in-law's  letter  toward  Sappha,  and 
answered  the  summons  at  once;  and  Sappha  lifted  the  letter 
and  carefully  re-read  it. 

MY  DEAR  GERARDUS  AND  CARLITA: 

I  have  to  announce  to  you  the  engagement  of  Annette  to  my 
friend  Achille  St.  Ange.  I  am  pleased  with  Annette's  choice,  and 
her  marriage  will  probably  take  place  on  her  next  birthday,  the 
seventh  day  of  June,  on  which  day,  as  you  know,  she  comes  of  age. 
I  wish  no  objections  to  be  made.  Annette  has  pleased  herself,  and 
done  well  to  herself,  and  what  more  can  be  expected? 
Your  affectionate  mother, 

JONACA  BLOOMMAERT. 

P.  S. — Tell  Sappha  I  wish  to  see  her  very  early  in  the  morning. 
I  have  a  pleasant  piece  of  news  for  her. 

All  through  that  dreary  day  this  letter  lay  in  Sappha's 
179 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


work-basket.  It  seemed  almost  to  have  life,  and  to  talk 
to  her;  and  when  her  mother  came  to  drink  a  cup  of  tea, 
she  was  glad  to  give  her  back  the  intimate,  insinuating  bit 
of  script.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  held  it  a  moment,  and  then 
locked  it  in  the  judge's  desk.  "  I  don't  want  to  see  it  again," 
she  said,  "  but  if  I  burn  it,  your  father  will  be  sure  to  con 
sider  it  important  enough  to  keep.  Can  you  imagine  what 
news  your  grandmother  has  to  tell  you  ?  " 

"  No.  There  was  considerable  jesting  about  a  secret 
yesterday,  but  it  did  not  strike  me  as  important.  It  most 
likely  relates  in  some  way  to  Annette's  marriage." 

"  That  is  hardly  possible  ;  Annette  did  not  say  a  word  of 
her  engagement  to  you  yesterday  ?  " 

"  Oh,  but  grandmother  would  not  permit  her  to  speak  un 
til  she  herself  had  announced  it.  Grandmother  is  particular 
about  such  things.  Still,  I  do  not  think  they  were  engaged 
when  I  left  there  last  night.  Achille  did  not  look,  or  act, 
like  an  engaged  man;  and  Annette  would  have  told  the 
secret  in  twenty  ways  without  uttering  a  word.  I  should 
certainly  have  seen  it.  No;  the  offer  was  made  after  I  left. 
Achille  was  in  a  very  sensitive  mood.  However,  Annette 
will  tell  me  everything  to-morrow." 

In  the  morning  she  obeyed  her  grandmother's  request,  and 
went  to  Nassau  Street  very  early.  She  told  herself  as  she 
walked  rapidly  through  the  frosty  air  that  there  would  likely 
be  some  little  change  in  Annette.  "  There  always  is,"  she 
mused  ;  "  as  soon  as  a  girl  is  engaged  something  takes  pl&<=« 

180 


— I  wonder  what  it  is."  The  first  symptom  of  this  change 
met  Sappha  at  once.  Annette  did  not  run  to  meet  her  as 
usual,  and  though  quite  as  demonstrative,  there  was  a  little 
air  of  superiority,  of  settlement,  of  some  subtile  accession, 
that  was  indefinable,  and  yet  both  positive  and  practical. 
She  was  dressed  with  great  care,  and  in  high  spirits;  and  ma- 
dame  shared  obviously  in  all  her  anticipations. 

Sappha  was  indeed  astonished  at  her  grandmother's  ap 
pearance  and  excited  mood.  Annette  answered  Sappha's 
congratulations  with  a  kiss  and  a  smile  only;  but  madame 
expressed  her  pleasure  frankly.  She  was  already  planning 
Annette's  wedding  and  Annette's  home.  Suddenly  she  recol 
lected  herself,  and  said,  "  Well,  then,  have  you  remembered 
the  secret  I  promised  to  tell  you  this  morning,  Sappha?  " 
"  Is  not  Annette's  good  fortune  the  secret,  grandmother?  " 
"  No.  Listen  to  me.  I  am  going  to  the  theatre  to-night ! 
You  do  not  believe  me?  I  assure  you  it  is  true.  And  you, 
and  Annette,  and  Achille  go  with  me.  Achille  has  been  mak 
ing  all  preparations  for  my  comfort;  and  I  am  sure  to  have 
a  very  happy  evening.  But  it  would  not  be  happy,  unless 
you  and  Annette  shared  it.  Now  you  must  return  home,  and 
send  here  the  dress  you  are  going  to  wear;  and  then  you 
will  spend  the  day  with  me.  It  is  to  be  my  gala  day.  I 
shall  wear  my  velvet  gown,  and  I  am  as  happy  as  a  little 
girl.  A  great  evening  it  will  be,  and  I  intend  to  share  all 
its  gladness,  and  all  its  enthusiasms.  And  as  Annette  has 
been  so  kind  and  clever  as  to  add  her  happiness  to  mine,  it 

181 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


is  a  spring-tide  of  good  luck.     I  consider  myself  a  very  for 
tunate  woman." 

"  Dear  grandmother,  my  father  is  suffering  very  much. 
Will  it  be  kind  and  right  for  me  to  be  at  the  theatre  while 
he  is  in  such  distress  ?  " 

"  Your  father  will  drink  •  Portugal  wine,  and  then  of 
course  he  suffers,  and  makes  your  mother  and  every  one 
else  miserable.  He  has  the  gout;  well,  you  know  what 
that  means.  I  am  sorry  that  he  drinks  wine,  when  he  ought 
to  drink  water;  but  what  he  invites  he  must  entertain.  I 
am  sorry  also,  that  your  mother  cannot  go  with  us;  she 
has  not  drunk  Portugal  wine,  and  yet  she  has  the  deprivation. 
Yes,  for  your  mother  I  am  sorry.  But  as  for  stopping  from 
the  theatre  to  think  about  ore-arranged  suffering,  I  shall 
not  do  it  —  and  there  is  no  obligation  on  you  to  deprive  your 
self  of  this  night's  pleasure.  If  I  can  go  with  a  good  con 
science,  you  may  safely  go  with  me." 

She  had  talked  herself  into  a  tone  of  self-defence,  and 
Sappha  perceived  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  say  more.  Also, 
she  was  very  eager  for  the  promised  entertainment,  and  won 
derfully  delighted  at  the  idea  of  her  grandmother's  pleasant 
vagary. 

"Why,  grandmother!"  she  answered,  "it  will  be  part 
of  the  performance  to  see  Madame  Jonaca  Bloommaert 
present.  You  will  make  quite  a  sensation,  and  when  I  am 
an  old  woman  I  shall  talk  about  the  night  I  went  with 
grandmother  to  the  Park  Theatre." 

182 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


Then  she  drew  the  lovely  girl  to  her  side  and  kissed  her, 
and  after  a  little  discussion  about  the  dress  to  be  worn, 
urged  her  to  go  home  and  procure  it.  Also,  she  sent  by 
Sappha  certain  messages  to  her  son  Gerardus,  which  Mrs. 
Bloommaert,  upon  consideration,  positively  refused  to  de 
liver. 

"  Your  father  is  paying  dearly  for  drinking  a  glass  or  two 
of  wine,"  she  answered,  "  and  it  is  none  of  God's  way  to 
worry,  as  well  as  punish.  And  I  will  not  tell  him  over  again 
what  he  has  been  told  so  often;  there  is  nothing  so  aggra 
vating.  What  are  you  going  to  wear?  " 

"  Mother  dear,  ought  I  to  go  ?  There  is  father — and 
there  is  Leonard " 

"  I  forgot !  Leonard  called  here,  while  you  were 
away." 

"  Oh,  dear!    What  did  you  say  to  him,  mother?" 

"  I  could  not  see  him.  I  was  just  giving  your  father  his 
breakfast.  He  slept  late  this  morning,  and " 

"  Then  what  message  did  you  send  ?  " 

"  I  sent  him  word  you  were  out,  and  told  him  it  was  im 
possible  to  accept  his  kind  offer.  Of  course  I  made  the 
refusal  in  as  agreeable  words  as  possible." 

"  Did  you  tell  him  I  had  gone  to  Nassau  Street  ?  " 

"  I  forget — I  suppose  I  did.  It  was  Kouba  who  opened  the 
door.  Kouba  would  be  sure  to  tell  him." 

Then  Sappha  went  to  her  room,  packed  the  clothing  she 
desired,  and  sent  it  to  Nassau  Street  by  Kouba.  On  being 

183 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


questioned,  he  could  not  remember  whether  he  had  told  Mr. 
Murray  to  go  to  Nassau  Street  or  not  —  thought  maybe 
he  had.  "  Master  Murray  mighty  dissatisfied  like,"  he 
added,  and  then  he  looked  curiously  in  Sappha's  face. 

"  You  are  to  take  this  parcel  to  Nassau  Street,  Kouba  ; 
and  when  you  come  back  here  you  will  find  a  letter  for 
Mr.  Murray  on  the  piano;  you  will  then  go  and  find  Mr. 
Murray,  and  give  him  the  letter." 

The  writing  of  this  letter  was  a  difficult  task  to  Sappha. 
She  felt  the  cruelty  of  Leonard's  position  very  much  —  his 
offer  to  her  family  had  been  early  and  most  generous;  yet 
it  was  impossible  for  her  father  and  mother  to  accept  it,  and 
equally  impossible  for  her  to  accept  it  alone.  The  disap 
pointment  to  his  own  plans  Leonard  would  doubtless  take 
as  cheerfully  as  possible  ;  but  what  would  he  say  to  her  going 
with  Achille?  For  he  might  not  see  Madame  Bloommaert's 
claim  on  her  granddaughter  in  the  light  of  an  affectionate 
command  and  compliance;  and  then  he  would  be  jealous 
again  —  and  then  —  and  then?  Sappha  felt  bewildered,  until 
she  recollected  Annette's  engagement.  That  circumstance 
would  certainly  define  Achille's  position  and  prevent  any  ill- 
will.  "And  I  told  him  in  my  letter  about  it,  so  then  it  is 
all  right."  Thus  she  reasoned  herself  into  a  satisfied  mood; 
and  when  she  returned  to  her  grandmother's  and  cousin's 
company  she  could  not  help  catching  the  joyous  expectancy 
of  the  situation. 

And  very  soon  Achille  came  in,  and  it  was  prettily  amus- 

184 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


ing  to  watch  the  behaviour  of  the  newly  betrothed.  It 
seemed  as  if  they  now  found  all  the  world  a  delightful  mys 
tery,  a  secret  between  themselves  only.  Such  reliance,  such 
hope,  such  expectation,  had  suddenly  sprung  up  between 
them  that  there  was  a  constant  necessity  for  little  con 
fidences  and  unshared  understandings.  However,  nothing 
could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  manner  in  which  Achille 
treated  madame.  He  consulted  her  about  all  the  evening's 
arrangements,  and  gave  her  an  affection  and  respect,  which 
she  returned  with  that  charming  kindness  that  is  the  innocent 
coquetry  of  old  age. 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  Achille  should  come  for  them 
soon  after  five  o'clock.  The  usual  hour  for  opening  the 
theatre  was  six,  but  Achille  said  the  crowd  on  the  streets  was 
already  very  embarrassing  and  difficult  to  manage. 

All  afternoon  there  was  a  growing  sense  of  something  un 
usual  and  paramountly  exciting  —  that  undistinguishable 
murmur  born  of  human  struggle  and  exulting  gladness. 
The  three  women  dressed  to  it,  and  were  all  ready  for  their 
refreshing  cup  of  tea  at  half-past  four  o'clock.  Both  girls 
had  tacitly  agreed  that  madame  was  to  be  the  heroine  of  the 
occasion.  Both  assisted  in  her  toilet,  and  escorted  her  down 
stairs  like  maids  of  honour.  And  certainly  it  would  have 
been  hard  to  find  a  woman  of  more  distinguished  appear 
ance.  Her  gown  of  black  velvet,  though  not  in  the  mode, 
was  in  her  mode,  and  suited  her  to  perfection.  White  satin 
and  fine  lace  made  the  stomacher,  and  her  white  hair  was 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


shaded  by  lace  and  by  a  little  velvet  hood  turned  back  with 
white  satin.  Her  face  had  a  pretty  pink  flush,  and  she  was 
very  quiet  during  the  last  half  hour  of  waiting. 

"  There  were  no  theatres  when  I  was  a  girl,"  she  said 
softly.  "  Would  you  believe,  my  dears,  that  I  have  never 
been  in  a  theatre,  never  seen  a  play?  I  wonder  me,  what 
your  grandfather  Bloommaert  would  say  ?  " 

"  He  would  be  glad  to  have  you  go,  of  course,"  answered 
Sappha.  "  Why,  grandmother,  you  ought  to  go  to-night. 
It  is  not  the  play  you  are  going  to  see,  it  is  something 
grander." 

She  smiled,  and  Annette  said,  "  I  hear  a  carriage  coming. 
Grandmother,  how  do  I  look?  " 

"  You  are  both  pretty  enough.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to 
see  you  dressed  alike." 

Then  Achille  entered,  and  hurried  them  a  little.  He 
said  the  immense  crowd  would  render  their  progress  very 
slow;  but  no  one  cared  much  for  the  delay.  The  crowd 
was  orderly  and  full  of  enthusiasm.  Scudder's  Museum,  all 
public  places,  and  private  houses  were  brilliantly  illumi 
nated;  there  was  a  sound  of  music  everywhere,  and  the 
crowd  itself  continually  burst  into  irrepressible  patriotic 
song. 

It  was  nearly  six  when  they  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
theatre,  and  madame's  heart  thrilled  very  much  as  a  child's 
would  have  done  when  she  entered  what  seemed  to  her  a 
fairy  palace.  For  the  whole  front  of  the  theatre  was  a  bril- 

186 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


liant  transparency  representing  the  engagement  of  the 
frigates  United  States  and  Macedonian.  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner  met  their  eyes  on  all  sides,  and  to  its  inspiring  music 
they  entered  the  box  Achille  had  provided.  Most  of  the 
boxes  were  already  filled  to  their  utmost  capacity;  and  in  the 
gallery  there  was  not  space  enough  left  for  the  foot  of  a 
little  child.  But  the  pit  was  empty,  and  to  it  every  eye  was 
turned.  Almost  immediately  the  tumultuously  joyful  cheer 
ing  outside  announced  some  important  arrival.  The  or 
chestra  struck  up,  with  amazing  dash  and  spirit,  Yankee 
Doodle,  and  three  hearty  cheers  answered  the  music  as 
four  hundred  sailors  from  the  war  frigates  entered.  The 
crowd  inside  rose  to  greet  them;  cheer  followed  cheer,  until 
women  and  men  both  sobbed  with  emotion.  Then  the  gun 
ner  with  his  speaking  trumpet  took  his  stand  in  the  centre 
of  the  pit,  in  order  to  command  silence  if  necessary,  and 
the  boatswain  with  his  silver  call  stood  next  him,  to  second 
his  commands.  And  four  hundred  sailors  in  their  blue 
jackets,  scarlet  vests,  and  glazed  hats,  all  alive  with  patri 
otism  and  excited  with  victory,  made  a  remarkable  audience. 
They  had  just  come  from  a  dinner  given  them  by  the  city 
at  the  City  Hotel,  and  were  exceedingly  jovial,  and  perhaps 
the  big  gunner  and  the  boatswain  standing  up  in  their  midst 
were  not  amiss  as  guides  and  masters  of  ceremonies,  for 
when  Decatur  shortly  afterwards  entered  the  box  provided 
for  him  they  rose  at  the  sight  of  their  commodore  as  one 
man,  and  gave  twelve  such  cheers  as  only  four  hundred 

187 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


proud  and  happy  sailors  could  give  ;  every  man  standing  on 
tiptoe  and  flourishing  his  glazed  hat  in  that  saucy,  dauntless 
way  that  is  peculiar  to  sailors.  And  whoever  heard  those 
repeated  huzzas,  with  the  silver  whistle  of  the  boatswain 
shrilling  through  them,  heard  music  of  humanity  that  they 
never  in  life  forgot.  Madame  wept  silently  and  uncon 
sciously,  Sappha  sat  with  gleaming  eyes  still  and  white  with 
emotion,  Annette  clapped  her  hands  and  leaned  on  Achille 
for  support.  The  very  atmosphere  of  the  house  was  tremu 
lous  and  electric,  and  men  and  women  said  and  did  things 
of  which  they  were  quite  unconscious.  And  wild  as  the 
excitement  was,  it  continued  during  the  whole  performance; 
the  play,  the  scenes,  the  transparencies  and  dances  being 
chosen  and  arranged  for  the  purpose  of  calling  out  the  naval 
spirit  of  the  audience  and  of  doing  homage  to  the  American 
sailor,  who  was  deservedly  at  that  hour  the  hope  of  the 
country  and  the  idol  of  the  people. 

When  the  wonderful  evening  was  over  the  sailors  left 
the  theatre  in  perfect  order,  and  preceded  by  their  own  band 
of  music  marched  to  their  landing  at  New  Slip;  and  while 
this  exit  was  transpiring,  so  many  people  visited  Madame 
Bloommaert  that  she  may  be  said  to  have  held  a  ten  minutes' 
royal  reception  in  her  box.  And  though  the  beautiful  old 
woman  with  her  beaming  face  and  rich  dark  drapery  was 
in  herself  a  picture  worth  looking  at,  her  charm  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  lovely  girls  who  stood  on  either  side  of  her  — 
both  of  them  dressed  alike  in  pale  blue  camblet  gowns  and 

188 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


spencers  of  the  then  rare  chinchilla  fur,  so  soft,  so  delicately 
grey,  so  inconstestably  becoming. 

"  I  have  had  four  hours  of  perfect  happiness,"  said  ma- 
dame,  as  she  lay  at  last  among  her  pillows,  with  her  hands 
clasped  upon  her  breast,  "  of  perfect  happiness  !  Think  of 
that,  children!  Four  hours  of  perfect  happiness!  " 

Annette  said  eagerly,  "  I  too,  grandmother,  I  too  have 
been  perfectly  happy."  But  Sappha  did  not  speak,  she  bent 
her  head  and  kissed  madame,  and  fussed  a  little  about  her 
night  posset,  and  her  pillows,  and  the  rush  light,  and  so 
managed  to  evade  any  notice  of  a  silence  which  might  have 
been  construed  adversely.  For  indeed  Sappha  had  not  been 
perfectly  happy.  She  had  rejoiced  with  those  that  rejoiced, 
but  in  her  heart  there  was  a  sense  of  failure.  Leonard  had 
not  sought  her  out,  and  she  had  been  unable  to  gain  any 
recognition  from  him.  For  a  short  time  he  was  in  the 
Clarks'  box,  and  she  watched  for  some  sign  that  he  was 
aware  of  her  presence;  but  the  sign  did  not  come,  and  long 
before  the  entertainment  was  over  he  had  disappeared. 

"  He  is  jealous  again,"  she  thought  with  a  sigh.  And 
really  it  appeared  as  if,  in  this  crisis,  he  had  some  cause  for 
offence.  His  offer  to  accompany  Sappha  and  her  family 
had  been  refused,  and  Sappha  was  with  Achille.  He  had 
not  even  been  asked  to  join  Achille's  party,  and  as  for  the 
judge's  gout  —  every  one  knew  he  was  subject  to  the  com 
plaint.  He  thought  Mrs.  Bloommaert  might  have  left  him 
for  three  or  four  hours;  he  told  himself  that  she  would  have 

189 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


done  so  if  Sappha  had  asked  her  with  sufficient  persuasion. 
It  angered  him  to  see  the  girl  he  loved  and  whose  troth  he 
held,  in  the  company  of  Achille  St.  Ange.  For  he  was  not  yet 
aware  of  Achille's  engagement  to  Annette,  the  letter  which 
Sappha  sent  by  Kouba  not  having  reached  him.  For  Kouba 
had  thought  far  more  of  enjoying  the  excitement  of  the 
streets  than  of  finding  Mr.  Murray,  and  the  only  effort  he 
made  in  that  direction  was  to  finally  leave  the  letter  at  the 
City  Hotel,  where  he  was  told  Mr.  Murray  was  dining. 

So  this  tremulous  fear  of  having  wounded  her  lover  was 
dropped  into  Sappha's  cup  of  pleasure,  and  clouded  and 
dimmed  its  perfection.  Its  very  uncertainty  was  fretsome; 
there  was  nothing  tangible  to  put  aside;  it  affected  her  as 
a  drop  of  ink  infects  a  glass  of  pure  water  —  it  cannot  be 
definitely  pointed  out,  but  it  has  spoiled  the  water.  The  only 
certain  feeling  was  a  regret,  which  lay  like  a  slant  shadow 
over  her  heart  and  life.  She  was  glad  when  the  morning 
came.  She  wished  to  go  home,  and  be  alone  a  little.  An 
nette's  selfish  joy,  though  effusively  good-tempered,  was  not 
pleasant,  and  it  struck  Sappha  in  that  hour  that  there  are 
times  when  good  breeding  is  better  than  good  temper. 

On  arriving  at  the  Bowling  Green  she  interviewed  Kouba 
at  once.  But  Kouba  had  his  tale  ready.  He  assured  Sappha 
that  he  had  found  Mr.  Murray  eating  his  dinner  at  the 
City  Hotel,  and  that  a  white  man  had  promised  to  send 
the  letter  right  away  to  him,  "  And  I  saw  him  do  it,"  he 
added,  with  a  reckless  disregard  for  facts.  If  this  was  the 

190 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


case,  then  Leonard  knew  of  the  engagement  between  Annette 
and  Achille,  and  she  could  not  imagine  why  her  lover  had 
so  obviously  ignored  her. 

But  for  a  time  it  was  necessary  to  put  this  question  out 
of  her  mind.  She  had  to  describe  the  previous  evening's  pro 
ceedings  to  her  father  and  mother,  and  then  it  was  dinner 
time — and  Leonard  had  not  come.  She  was  utterly  miser 
able,  and  under  the  plea  of  a  headache  went  to  her  room.  It 
was  impossible  for  her  to  talk  any  longer  of  those  things 
that  did  not  concern  her.  She  wanted  to  think  of  her 
lover,  and  if  possible  discover  what  course  was  the  best  to 
take. 

"Oh,  if  father  had  not  been  ill  just  at  this  time!"  she 
sighed,  "  we  might  have  been  all  so  happy  together  last  night! 
Why  did  father's  attack  come  on  the  very  day  both  mother 
and  I  wanted  him  to  be  well  ?  Oh,  how  unfortunate !  " 
And  Sappha's  lament  was  quite  true — the  unfortunate  thing 
usually  happens  at  the  unfortunate  time,  for  a  malign  fate 
never  does  things  by  half.  So  the  girl  wept,  and  told  herself 
that  she  was  sorry  she  had  gone  to  the  theatre  at  all,  and 
that  whenever  she  tried  to  be  kind  to  others  and  to  forget 
herself  she  was  always  sorry.  She  declared  Leonard  had 
a  right  to  be  offended.  He  had  been  badly  treated,  and  his 
desire  to  have  their  engagement  made  public  was  a  wise 
and  honourable  one  for  both  of  them.  Perhaps  her  argu 
ments  were  all  wrong,  but  then  the  human  relations  are  built 
on  feeling,  not  on  reason  or  knowledge.  And  feeling  is  not 

191 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


an  exact  science  ;  like  all  spiritual  qualities,  it  has  the  vague 
ness  of  greatness  about  it. 

However,  youth  is  happy  in  this  respect  —  it  can  weep.  Sor 
row  finds  an  outlet  by  the  eyes;  when  we  grow  older  it 
sinks  inward  and  drowns  the  heart.  So  Sappha  wept  her 
grief  away,  and  was  sitting  in  a  kind  of  dismal,  hopeless 
stillness  when  Leonard  came. 

I  They  met  and  embraced  speechlessly,  and  it  was  evident 
that  Leonard  also  had  been  suffering.  But  in  little  con 
fidences  and  mutual  explanations  all  suspicions  and  fears 
passed  away,  and  their  love  was  nourished  and  cherished 
by  the  tears  with  which  they  watered  it.  And  in  this  inter 
view  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  their  engagement  must 
be  publicly  ratified,  and  Leonard  promised  to  see  Judge 
Bloommaert  as  soon  as  the  latter  was  able  to  discuss  the 
subject. 

"And  you  will  not  vex  my  father  about  Mr.  Burr? 
Dear  Leonard,  you  will  not  put  Mr.  Burr  before  me?  " 

"  I  will  put  no  one  on  earth  before  you,  my  darling  \  No 
one!" 

"  Remember,  Leonard,  that  you  have  had  nothing  but 
worries  since  you  visited  the  man.  But  wherever  or  when 
ever  you  meet  Aaron  Burr,  I  would  count  it  an  unlucky 
day." 

And  the  questionable  words  sunk  deeper  into  Leonard's 
consciousness  than  far  more  reasonable  arguments  would 
have  done.  He  answered  them  with  kisses  only,  but  as  he 

192 


THE    MIRACLE    OF    LOVE 


walked  up  the  Bowling  Green  he  said  at  intervals,  as  if 
answering  his  thoughts:  "  Perhaps  —  maybe  —  who  can  tell? 
She  is  best  of  all,  God  forever  bless  her!  " 

As  for  Sappha,  she  went  swiftly  upstairs  to  her  room. 
Her  heart  was  as  light  as  it  had  been  heavy.  She  sat  down, 
she  arose,  she  rubbed  her  palms  with  pleasure,  she  sighed, 
she  smiled,  and  her  eyes  were  full  of  love's  own  light  as 
she  whispered  softly,  "  Leonard  !  Leonard  !  Leonard  !  Oh, 
my  dear  one!  " 

Thus  does  grief  favour  all  who  bear  the  gift  of  tears. 


193 


CHAPTER 

SEVEN 


The  Incident  of  Marriage 


T 


g  HE  interview  so  important  to  Leonard's 
love  affairs,  and  so  eagerly  desired  by  him, 
did  not  come  as  he  had  planned  it  should 
come.  He  had  intended  to  speak  to  the 
judge  when  Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  present 


and  Sappha  not  far  away,  for  he  counted  very  largely  on 
their  personal  influence  for  a  favourable  answer  to  his  re 
quest.  But  one  morning  as  he  was  passing  the  house  the 
judge,  who  was  sitting  by  the  window,  saw  him;  and  by  a 
friendly,  familiar  gesture,  invited  him  to  an  interview. 

"  You  see,  Mr.  Murray,"  he  said  cheerfully,  "  I  have 
fallen  behind  in  all  city  news.  Sit  an  hour  and  tell  me  what 
is  going  on."  And  he  held  the  young  man's  hand  and 
looked  with  pleasure  into  his  frank,  handsome  countenance. 
"  Well,  judge,  De  Witt  Clinton  is  sure  to  be  re-elected 
mayor." 

"  Yes,  yes ;  the  majority  of  the  council  are  Federalists." 
"  I  think  the  war  party  are  equally  in  his  favour." 
"  No  doubt,  he  has  been  a  good  mayor.    Any  war  news?  " 
"  There  is  a  report  that  the   Constitution  captured  the 
British  war  frigate  Java  about  last  Christmas  Day.     I  be- 

IQ4 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


lieve  the  report,  for  it  came  by  the  privateer  Tartar,  Captain 
King." 

"  I  wish  we  could  have  any  such  news  from  the  Niagara 
frontier.  Nothing  but  disaster  comes  that  way.  The  gov 
ernment  has  requested  my  son  Peter  to  go  there  and  assist 
Brown  with  the  building  of  the  lake  fleet.  I  wonder  if  it 
will  accomplish  anything." 

"  All  it  is  intended  to  accomplish,  judge.  We  must  give 
the  men  up  there  time  and  opportunity.  Before  summer  is 
over  we  shall  hear  from  them." 

They  then  began  a  conversation  upon  the  defences  of  New 
York,  and  Leonard  described  the  work  going  forward  on 
Hendrick's  reef,  and  at  Navesink.  "  There  are  more  than 
eight  hundred  Jersey  Blues  on  the  heights,"  he  said,  "  and 
the  telegraph  on  the  Highlands  is  ready  to  work.  General 
Izard  is  an  active  and  zealous  officer." 

Having  exhausted  this  subject,  the  judge  suddenly  became 
personal,  and  with  an  abruptness  that  startled  Leonard, 
asked  : 

"  How  are  you  spending  these  fine  winter  days,  Mr.  Mur 
ray?  Tell  me,  if  my  question  is  not  an  intrusive  one." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I  consider  it  a  great  honour.  And  advice 
from  you,  at  this  time,  would  be  of  more  service  than  you 
can  imagine." 

"  If  you  will  take  it  ;  but  most  people  ask  advice  only 
that  it  may  confirm  them  in  the  thing  they  have  already  re 
solved  to  do." 

195 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  I  will  ask  your  advice,  sir.  It  cannot  but  be  better  than 
my  own  opinion."  Then  Leonard  explained  his  intention 
with  regard  to  the  study  of  the  law  regulating  real  estate, 
and  Judge  Bloommaert  listened  with  attention  and  evident 
satisfaction. 

"  It  will  be  a  good  thing  for  you  to  do,  Mr.  Murray," 
he  answered,  when  Leonard  ceased  speaking.  "  You  ought 
not  to  be  idle,  even  if  you  can  afford  it;  and  this  study  will 
not  only  employ  your  time,  it  will  eventually  save  you  much 
money.  Go  and  see  Mr.  Vanderlyn.  Perhaps  he  may  let 
you  read  with  him.  No  one  knows  more  about  real  estate." 

"  I  have  been  told,  sir,  that  Mr.  Burr  is  the  greatest 
authority  on  that  subject." 

"  Mr.  Burr  is  out  of  consideration." 

"  I  confess,  sir,  that  I  have  already  considered  him." 

"  Have  you  spoken  to  him  ?  " 

"  Not  definitely." 

"  Mr.  Murray,  if  you  sit  in  Mr.  Burr's  office,  you  will 
soon  share  his  opinions.  And  in  such  case,  I  should  be  com 
pelled  to  forbid  you  the  society  of  myself  and  family.  You 
cannot  touch  pitch  and  not  be  defiled." 

He  spoke  with  rising  anger,  and  Leonard  answered  as 
softly  as  possible: 

"  Judge,  I  ask  your  advice  in  this  matter.  I  have  al 
ready  told  you  I  would  take  it.  Can  we  not  talk  of  Mr. 
Burr  as  reasonably  as  of  the  war  and  our  defences?  I 
am  open  to  conviction,  and  free  to  confess  that  I  do  not 

196 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 

see  what  Mr.  Burr  has  done  to  merit  the  ostracism  he  is 
receiving  from  certain  parties.  I  suppose  it  is  one  of  the 
accidents  of  his  fate,  a  paradox — and  life  is  full  of  para 
doxes." 

"  Mr.  Burr's  ostracism  is  no  accident,  it  is  his  own  act. 
The  man  has  committed  a  crime,  and  the  interpretation 
thereof  is  written  on  everything  he  does." 

"You  mean  his  duel  with  Mr.  Hamilton?  Sir,  if  Mr. 
Hamilton  had  killed  Mr.  Burr,  would  the  Federalists  have 
considered  it  a  crime  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Hamilton's  case  is  out  of  our  jurisdiction.  It  is 
gone  to  a  higher  court." 

"  Is  not  that  special  pleading,  judge?" 

"  It  will  do  for  the  case." 

"  Hamilton  had  publicly  called  Burr  unprincipled,  dan 
gerous,  despicable,  an  American  Cataline — oh,  many  other 
derogatory  epithets!  Would  not  Mr.  Burr  have  been  gen 
erally  held  as  despicable  if  he  had  not  defended  his  good 
name?  " 

"By  killing  his  defamer?" 

"  Well,  sir,  how  else  could  he  have  done  it?  " 

"  In  politics  men  call  each  other  all  sorts  of  ill  names. 
They  even  invent  new  ones  for  their  opponent.  And  though 
in  Paradise  the  lion  will  lie  down  with  the  lamb,  in  Para 
dise  they  will  not  have  to  submit  their  rival  political  views 
to  general  elections.  Say  that  Mr.  Hamilton  was  vituper 
ative — it  was  a  war  of  words.  Mr.  Burr  Had  a  tongue  and  a 

197 


THE    -BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


pen,  as  well  as  Mr.  Hamilton.  If  Mr.  Hamilton  had  in 
sulted  Mr.  Burr's  wife,  or  run  off  with  his  daughter,  there 
might  have  been  some  excuse  for  a  bloody  settlement,  but 
words,  words,  words,  the  tongue  or  the  pen  would  have 
answered  them." 

"  Then,  judge,  you  do  not  approve  of  the  duel?  " 

"  I  do  not.  But  I  think  that  Mr.  Burr's  fatal  mistake 
will  eventually  put  duelling  as  much  out  as  witchcraft.  We 
shall  probably  also  have  strong  repressive  laws  against  it." 

"  Yet  as  long  as  public  opinion  respects  duelling,  no  re 
pressive  law  will  be  as  strong  as  public  opinion.  We  are  as 
moral  and  intelligent  now  as  any  people  can  be,  yet  the  duel 
is  not  obsolete,  nor  has  Mr.  Burr's  ostracism  been  a 
deterrent." 

"  I  know  that.  Last  year  two  men  quarrelled  about  an 
umbrella  in  the  hall  of  Scudder's  Museum,  and  the  next  day 
one  of  them  shot  the  other  dead.  Nine  out  of  ten  people 
called  the  dead  man  a  fool  for  his  pains.  Mr.  Murray,  the 
duel  has  become  perilously  close  to  the  ridiculous.  Men 
may  talk  about  blowing  out  brains  for  an  angry  word,  but 
the  majority  quietly  laugh  at  the  absurdity.  Such  conduct 
is  totally  unworthy  of  American  common  sense.  For  no 
man  of  intelligence  would  fight  a  duel  if  he  remembered 
that  he  would  render  himself  liable  to  form  the  text  for  an 
article  in  The  Morning  Chronicle.  To  be  treated  either 
with  its  satire  or  its  morality  would  be  equally  depressing  — 
it  would  make  him  intensely  ridiculous  in  any  case.  But 

198 


we  shall  never  give  up  duelling  on  moral  and  intelligent 
grounds." 

"  Then  on  what  other  grounds?  " 

"  The  class  duellists  come  from  are  the  brainless  class;  and 
if  the  custom  was  strictly  confined  by  this  class  to  their  fel 
lows,  it  would  be  one  of  the  most  innocent  of  their  amuse 
ments.  We  must  make  duelling  ridiculous,  for  when  mock 
ery  and  satire  are  constant  about  any  subject,  you  may  know 
that  thing  is  dead,  and  its  shell  only  remains." 

"  But,  judge,  if  a  man's  honour  is  assailed " 

"  If  we  were  all  Hotspurs,  Mr.  Murray,  and  ready  to 
plunge  into  the  deep  and  pluck  honour  by  the  locks,  we 
might  count  on  sympathy ;  but  when  the  majority  think  with 
Falstaff,  that  '  honour  is  a  mere  scutcheon  '  we  get  a  chill, 
until  we  remember  the  divine  law.  For  after  all,  sir,  the 
Decalogue  remains  as  a  finality.  Look  up  the  sixth  clause 
of  that  code." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  add  to  it,  sir." 

"  Not  on  moral  and  intellectual  grounds.  Socially,  you 
may  remember  the  homely  proverb  which  advises  '  Go  with 
good  men,  and  you  will  be  counted  one  of  them.'  Go  with 
Mr.  Burr,  and  you  will  be  counted  with  him;  held  at  the 
same  price — nay,  you  will  be  only  one  of  Mr.  Burr's  satel 
lites.  If  you  want  really  to  study  law " 

"  No,  sir.  I  give  up  the  idea.  I  have  said  sufficient  to  Mr. 
Burr  to  wound  him  if  I  go  elsewhere.  And  just  because  he 
is  down  at  present,  I  will  not  give  him  a  coward's  kick." 

199 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  There  is  no  occasion  to  do  so.  It  is  not  a  chargeable 
thing  to  salute  civilly.  But  Mr.  Burr's  affairs  are  none  of 
your  profit,  therefore  why  make  them  your  peril  ?  " 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  good  advice,  judge." 

"  Then  take  it." 

"  I  will,  sir." 

"  Now  having  interfered  with  your  intention,  I  am  bound 
to  offer  you  something  in  its  place.  It  is  this:  I  can  get 
you  active  employment  with  Gouverneur  Morris,  Simeon 
De  Witt,  and  John  Rutherford,  who  are  busy  yet  in  per 
fecting  their  plans  for  the  streets  of  the  future  New  York. 
I  should  not  wonder  if  they  map  out  the  whole  island.  In 
fact,  they  have  already  provided  space  for  a  greater  popula- 
lation  than  is  collected  on  any  spot  this  side  of  China.  I  can 
not  say  I  like  their  mathematical  arrangement  ;  they  are  mak 
ing  a  city  idealised  after  Euclid  —  straight,  stiff,  wearisome, 
without  character  or  expression." 

"  But  it  will  be  a  most  convenient  arrangement.    I  would 
carry  the  plan  out,  even  north  of  Harlem  Flat." 
"  There  will  be  no  houses  there  for  centuries  to  come." 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  before  this  century  goes  out." 

The  judge  smiled.  He  liked  the  young  man's  enthusiasm, 
and  he  answered  :  "  So  be  it.  You  shall  help  to  survey  the 
ground.  I  will  speak  to  De  Witt  to-morrow." 

At  this  point  of  the  discussion  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
front  door,  followed  by  a  little  stir  of  entrance,  and  the 
sound  of  speech  and  light  laughter.  Both  men  were  sud- 

200 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 

oco<^=>a»«=>a»«ss»<K!fl«^^'««)-cs5>oco<^:s>«oo«S3>eco<srs»oco<^s>ocfl<s=>»»<s=>i)o<:^i>oco 

denly  all  ear.  There  was  no  more  conversation,  and  after 
a  few  moments  of  silent  expectation  Mrs.  Bloommaert 
and  Sappha  entered  the  room  together.  They  were  in 
happy  mood,  and  Sappha  was  so  lovely  with  the  bloom  of 
the  frosty  air  on  her  smiling  face  that  Leonard  forgot 
everything  and  every  one  but  her,  and  before  either  were 
aware  he  had  taken  her  hands  and  kissed  her. 

The  next  moment  they  both  realised  their  position,  and 
Leonard,  still  holding  Sappha's  hand,  led  her  to  the  aston 
ished  father.  "  Sir,"  he  said,  "  we  have  loved  each  other 
since  we  were  children.  Will  you  now  sanction  our  love, 
and  permit  our  betrothal  ?  " 

The  judge  looked  helplessly  at  his  wife.  She  was  watch 
ing  the  young  couple  with  smiles  on  her  face,  and  evident 
sympathy  in  her  heart  for  their  cause.  If  he  wished  to  be 
adverse  and  disagreeable,  he  foresaw  he  would  have  no  help 
from  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  Yet  to  give  up  in  a  moment  all 
the  wavering  feelings  of  dislike  he  had  entertained  for 
Leonard,  and  all  his  own  settled  purpose  of  no  recognised 
engagement  for  his  daughter  until  peace  was  accomplished, 
was  a  hard  struggle.  Perhaps  it  was  well  He  had  to  decide 
in  a  moment.  At  that  precise  hour  he  was  in  a  mood  of  lik 
ing  Leonard,  and  he  had  no  time  to  reason  himself  into 
another  mood.  Slowly,  and  with  a  little  asperity,  he  an 
swered  : 

"  Mr.  Murray,  it  seems  to  me  you  have  not  waited  either 
for  my  sanction  or  my  permission." 

201 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Ah,  sh,  consider  the  temptation." 

Involuntarily  he  looked  into  the  face  of  "  the  tempta 
tion."  With  clear,  shining  eyes  she  held  his  eyes  a  moment, 
and  then  her  voice  uttered  the  undeniable  entreaty:  "  I  love 
Leonard  so  dearly,  father.  And  he  loves  me." 

"I  see!    I  see!" 

"  We  only  wish  to  please  you,  father  ;  that  is  best  of  all." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  that  is  best  of  all  !  "  said  Leonard  eagerly. 

"  Well,  well  !  In  this  country  the  majority  rules.  What 
can  a  man  do  if  there  are  three  against  him,  especially  when 
one  of  the  three  is  his  wife?"  and  he  shook  his  head,  and 
looked  somewhat  reproachfully  at  his  wife. 

Then  Sappha  slipped  her  arms  around  his  neck,  and  laid 
her  cheek  a  jain:  :  his,  and  he  embraced  his  daughter  and 
stretched  out  his  hand  to  Leonard. 

Thus  Fortune  often  brings  in  the  boats  we  do  not  steer, 
and  by  what  we  call  a  happy  accident  guides  our  dearest  and 
most  difficult  hopes  to  a  sudden  fruition.  It  is  then  a  good 
thing  to  leave  the  door  wide  open  for  our  unknown  angels. 
They  often  accomplish  for  us  what  we  hardly  dare  to 
attempt. 

After  this  settlement  Sappha  and  Leonard  felt  that  they 
might  revel  in  the  joy  of  life  and  take  their  pleasure  where- 
ever  they  found  it.  And  they  found  it  both  in  public  and 
private  affairs.  Annette's  marriage  was  to  take  place  in 
June,  and  there  were  preparations  without  end  going  on  for 
that  event.  Her  grandfather  De  Vries  had  given  her,  as 

2O2 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


a  wedding  gift,  the  Semple  place,  a  beautiful  old  home  set  in 
a  fine  garden  which  had  once  sloped  down  to  the  river  bank. 

"It  is  not  exactly  what  I  should  have  chosen,"  said  the 
bride-elect  ;  "  but  it  is  valuable  property,  and  grandfather 
would  not  have  given  it  to  me  if  I  had  not  promised  to  live 
there." 

"  It  is  no  hardship  to  live  in  the  Semple  house,"  said 
Sappha.  "  The  rooms  are  so  large,  the  woodwork  so  richly 
carved,  and  the  garden  is  the  sweetest,  shadiest  place  in  New 
York,  I  think." 

"  Grandmother  is  going  to  furnish  it,  and  she  lets  me 
choose  exactly  what  I  want.  I  declare,  dear  Achille  and  I 
have  no  time  for  love-making,  we  are  so  worried  about  chairs 
and  tables  and  wedding  garments." 

"  I  never  should  have  thought  Achille  would  worry  about 
anything.  He  is  always  so  deliberate,  and  so  calm." 

"  Oh,  but  a  man  in  love  is  a  different  creature,  and  I  can 
tell  you  that  Achille  is  distractingly  in  love.  I  am  not 
quite  ignorant  about  the  queer  ways  of  men  in  a  fever  of 
infatuation.  Why,  he  scarcely  ever  goes  to  see  the  pastry 
cook  now." 

"  Oh,  but  De  Singeron  was  a  gallant  officer  of  King  Louis! 
He  is  in  exile  and  misfortune,  that  is  all.  The  pastry  busi 
ness  is  but  an  emergency  —  and  he  manages  it  splendidly  -  " 

"  Certainly.  I  have  always  liked  his  good  things.  And 
he  is  going  to  make  us  the  most  wonderful  wedding  cake. 
However,  when  Achille  and  I  are  married  Achille  will  have 

203 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

MO<s™^JO<£^s>QO<^5»OOQ<^:^^cqO<g^^QPO<^^OOQ<^^<)CO*^  *S^»OCO 

to  give  up  many  things,  and  Monsieur  Auguste  Louis  de 
Singeron  will  be  one  of  them.  At  present  I  have  too  many 
things  to  worry  about  to  interfere." 

"  You  have  nearly  half  a  year  in  which  to  do  your  worry 
ing.  Why  not  take  things  more  easily  ?  " 

"  Oh,  the  fun  is  in  the  fuss !  Did  you  hear  that  General 
Moreau  is  going  back  to  Europe  to  join  the  allies?  The 
emperor  of  Russia  has  sent  for  him,  and  now  he  will  have 
the  chance  to  pay  Napoleon  back  for  his  nine  years'  exile. 
But  I  shall  never  pass  119  Pearl  Street  without  a  sigh.  No 
one  ever  gave  such  princely  entertainments  as  the  Moreaus. 
The  general  is  to  have  a  great  appointment,  but  what  he 
likes  best  is  the  chance  of  righting  the  world's  big  tyrant. 
Achille  is  going  to  see  him  embark — and  many  others.  But 
this  is  not  my  affair.  There  is  my  wedding  gown,  for 
instance." 

"  Have  you  decided  on  it?  " 

"  It  must  be  white — everything  about  me  must  be  white. 
Achille  says  so.  I  think  grandmother  will  send  to  Boston 
for  the  silk  or  satin;  there  is  none  here  of  a  quality  fit  for 
the  most  important  gown  a  woman  can  ever  wear.  You 
would  think  it  was  grandmother's  wedding,  she  is  so  inter 
ested  in  every  little  thing  about  it." 

Indeed,  Annette  did  not  much  overstate  madame's  interest 
in  her  granddaughter's  marriage  preparations.  She  lifted 
the  additional  work,  and  even  the  additional  expense,  with  a 
light-hearted  alacrity  that  was  wonderful.  And  in  many 

204 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


ways  her  cheerfulness  brought  her  a  rich  and  ready  reward. 
She  had  been  almost  a  recluse  for  some  years,  she  was  now 
seen  constantly  on  the  streets  and  in  the  stores,  and  not 
infrequently  in  this  way  she  became  a  delighted  spectator  of 
public  parades  and  military  drills  and  movements.  Achille 
usually  accompanied  her,  and  his  respectful  attentions  were 
a  source  of  wonder  and  speculation  to  those  who  forgot  to 
consider  that  Frenchmen  are  specially  trained  to  give  honour, 
and  even  reverence,  to  old  age.  So  it  was  not  remarkable 
that  madame  put  on  a  kind  of  second  youth;  how  could  she 
be  in  constant,  affectionate  accord  with  four  loving  young 
hearts  and  not  do  so? 

For  the  next  half-year,  then,  Annette  was  the  centre  of 
interest  in  her  own  little  world.  The  judge  and  Mrs. 
Bloommaert,  Sappha,  and  Leonard  gladly  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  this  generous  service  for,  and  sympathy  with,  the 
exultant  little  bride.  And  at  this  period  of  her  life,  even 
her  foibles  and  selfishness  were  pleasantly  excused.  It  was 
her  last  draught  of  the  careless  joy  of  girlhood;  no  one 
wished  to  spill,  or  spoil,  one  drop  of  it. 

Leonard  and  Sappha  were  much  of  their  time  at  the 
Bloommaert  House  in  Nassau  Street;  although  Leonard,  in 
the  City  Commissioner's  office,  was  making  some  pretence 
of  mapping  out  streets  and  lots  of  ground  in  the  wilderness 
round  Harlem  Flat.  But  this  business  hardly  interfered 
with  his  attentions  to  Sappha  and  Annette;  nor  yet  with  the 
military  spirit  which  took  him  very  regularly  to  the 

205 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


guard-room  of  some  of  the  volunteer  companies.  He  was 
also  a  recognised  dependence  when  the  city  wished  to  enter 
tain  some  hero  whom  it  delighted  to  honour;  for  then  both 
his  purse  and  his  natural  genius  for  method  and  arrange 
ment  made  him  an  invaluable  surety  for  success. 

During  this  half-year  there  were  not  many  warlike  events 
to  influence  New  York,  and  her  citizens  had  become  quite 
used  to  the  guns  at  the  different  forts  signalling  "  the  British 
fleet  off  Sandy  Hook."  Many  false  alarms  also  contributed 
to  this  sense  of  security.  They  were  well  aware,  too,  that 
the  already  numerous  forts  were  being  steadily  increased  and 
strengthened,  and  in  April  the  Battery  parade  was  fortified. 
This  park  was  then  a  strip  of  greensward  about  three  hun 
dred  feet  wide,  between  State  Street  and  the  water's  edge. 
It  had  no  sea  wall,  only  a  low  wooden  fence  on  the  edge  of  a 
bluff  two  or  three  feet  high;  then  loose  sand  and  pebbles  to 
the  water's  edge.  There  was  a  dock  at  the  foot  of  White 
hall  Street,  and  at  Marketfield  Street  the  water  came  nearly 
to  the  middle  of  the  block  between  Washington  and  Green 
wich  streets.  About  the  centre  of  the  southeastern  part  of 
this  park  there  was  a  public  garden  and  a  charming  little 
hall,  where  coffee,  cakes,  ice  cream,  and  other  delicacies  were 
served;  and  on  summer  evenings  some  of  the  military  bands 
made  excellent  music  there  for  the  visitors. 

Of  course,  the  erection  of  a  breastwork  around  this  water 
line  of  the  park  was  an  interesting  event  to  all  the  dwellers 
on  the  Bowling  Green,  and  Sappha  and  Leonard,  during  the 

206 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 

)i)7rtr^r^6fj<i^-i^tc<s>^i>oi)fl<£J^^0!)ac5^i^Qnfl<^^ 

lovely  days  of  April  and  May,  took  their  walks  about  the 
Battery  fortifications,  and  thus  thrilled  their  love  through 
and  through  with  the  passion  of  patriotism  and  the  glow  and 
excitement  of  its  warlike  preparations. 

It  was  while  these  Battery  defences  were  being  constructed 
that  the  city  gave  one  of  its  usual  great  entertainments  to 
Captain  Lawrence,  who  in  the  Hornet  had  captured  the 
British  brig-of-war  Peacock.  Two  circumstances  made  this 
dinner  one  that  brought  the  war  very  close  to  the  people  of 
New  York — the  first  was  the  fact  that  Lawrence  was  a 
citizen  of  New  York;  the  second  was  the  marching  of  the 
one  hundred  and  six  survivors  of  the  sunk  ship  Peacock 
through  all  the  principal  streets  of  the  city  to  their  prison  in 
Fort  Gansevoort,  thus  affording  the  populace  a  very  visible 
proof  of  victory.  It  was,  however,  noticeable  that  few  of 
American  parentage  offered  any  insult  to  the  depressed-look 
ing  sailors,  while  many  men  of  the  first  consideration  raised 
their  hats  as  the  unhappy  line  passed.  Leonard  and  Achille 
were  among  this  number.  "  Honour  to  the  vanquished !  " 
said  Achille  with  emotion;  and  Leonard,  remembering  who 
had  taught  them  that  sentiment,  repeated  it.  And  this 
courtesy  was  the  more  emphatic,  because  at  that  very  time 
a  large  number  of  British  war  vessels  had  entered  the 
Chesapeake  and  Delaware  bays. 

But  did  war  ever  stop  marriage?  On  the  contrary,  it 
seems  to  give  a  strange  vitality  and  hurry  to  love-making; 
and  in  the  midst  of  all  its  alarms  Annette's  wedding  prepara- 

207 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


tions  went  blithely  on  to  their  determined  crisis.  On  the 
seventh  of  June  Annette,  being  of  age,  became  mistress  of 
her  estate,  and  on  the  seventeenth  of  the  same  month  she 
married  Achille  St.  Ange. 

It  was  an  exquisite  summer  day,  and  the  old  house  in 
Nassau  Street  had  never  looked  more  picturesquely  home 
like.  Every  rose  tree  was  in  gloom,  and  doors  and  windows 
were  all  open  to  admit  the  scented  air.  For  the  company 
far  exceeded  the  capacity  of  the  parlours  ;  it  filled  the  hall,  the 
stairway,  and  the  piazzas,  and  even  in  the  garden  happy 
young  people  were  wandering  among  the  syringa  bushes  and 
the  red  and  white  roses.  And  presently  there  was  a  little 
wistful,  eager  stir,  and  Annette,  followed  by  her  grand 
mother  and  Sappha,  came  softly  down  the  stairway.  Then 
the  girls  sitting  there  rose  and  stood  on  each  side  of  the 
descent,  and  Achille  hastened  to  meet  the  snow-white  figure, 
and  ere  she  touched  the  floor  took  her  hands  in  his  own. 
And  never  had  Annette  looked  so  fair  and  so  lovely;  from 
the  rose  in  her  hair  to  the  satin  sandals  on  her  feet  she  was 
in  lustrous  white.  The  faint  colour  of  her  cheeks,  the  deeper 
red  of  her  mouth,  and  the  heavenly  blue  of  her  eyes  were 
but  the  tender  tints  that  gave  life  to  the  bright,  slow-mov 
ing,  bride-like  beauty. 

Many  a  time  Annette  had  consciously  assumed  a  pensive, 
thoughtful  expression,  for  Achille  admired  her  most  in  such 
moods;  but  there  was  no  necessity  for  the  pretence  this  day. 
Those  who  had  any  penetrative  observation  might  see  beyond 

2C& 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


the  light  of  her  sweet  smiles  and  glances  the  shadowed  eyes 
that  both  remember  and  foresee.  She  was  not  a  girl  at  all 
inclined  to  reflection,  but  feeling  and  intuition  go  where 
reason  cannot  enter,  and  Annette  felt  that  this  very  day  was 
the  meridian  day  of  her  life.  Having  gained  this,  the  height 
of  her  hope  and  desire,  she  wondered  —  even  against  her  will 
—  "  if  she  must  henceforward  tread  the  downward  slope 
until  the  evening  shades  of  life  found  her?  "  Was  this  day 
to  give  a  future  to  her  past  and  change  girlhood's  simple 
hopes  into  the  richer  joys  of  wifehood  ?  Or  would  this  new 
self  that  had  just  taken  possession  of  her  bring  kisses  wet 
with  tears,  waste  remembrance  of  vanished  hours,  and  for 
lorn  sighs  for  the  days  eventual?  Not  these  words,  but  the 
sentiment  of  them,  insinuated  itself  into  the  bride's  conscious 
ness.  It  was  uncalled,  and  unwelcome;  and  Annette,  frown 
ing  at  the  intrusion,  dismissed  it.  She  had  always  found 
"  change  "  meant  something  better,  and  that  there  was  ever 
a  living  joy,  ready  to  take  the  place  of  a  dead  one,  even  as  — 

"  The  last  cowslip  in  the  fields  \ve  see 
On  the  same  day   with  the  first  corn  poppy." 

Fortunately,  after  any  great  domestic  vicissitude,  there  is 
generally  a  suspension  of  everything  unusual.  The  family 
in  which  it  has  occurred  refuse  to  be  drawn  into  further 
changes.  They  instinctively  feel  that  marriage,  as  well  as 
death,  makes  life  barren,  and  they  say  in  many  different  ways, 
"  It  is  enough.  Leave  things  as  they  are  ;  at  least,  for  a  little 
while." 

209 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


This  was  certainly  the  feeling  in  the  Bloommaert  family, 
and  it  was  made  more  sensible  by  the  unsatisfactory  condi 
tion  of  the  country.  The  campaign  on  the  northern  frontier 
had  been,  all  the  year,  one  military  disaster,  and  the  presi 
dent  designated  the  ninth  of  September  as  "  a  day  of  humilia 
tion,  fasting,  and  prayer,  and  for  an  invocation  for  divine 
help."  On  the  eighth  of  September  the  British  men-of-war 
captured  thirty  coasters  within  twelve  miles  of  New  York 
city,  and  the  citizens  who  knelt  in  the  pews  of  Trinity  the 
next  day  not  only  felt  the  need  of  divine  help,  but  were  also 
wonderfully  strengthened  and  comforted  by  the  appropriate 
selection  designated  in  the  Prayer  Book  for  the  ninth  day  of 
the  month.  These  were  so  remarkably  suitable  and  encour 
aging  that  several  of  the  newspapers  called  attention  to  the 
circumstance. 

The  very  day  after  this  public  entreaty  for  help  Com 
modore  Perry  in  his  flagship  Lawrence  won  his  victory  on 
Lake  Erie,  and  on  the  twenty-second  of  the  month  the  news 
reached  New  York  City,  and  turned  fear  and  sadness  into 
hope  and  triumph.  General  Harrison's  victory  over  Tecum- 
seh  followed,  and  these  two  successes  had  a  special  claim  on 
the  thankfulness  of  New  York  City  and  State ;  for  "  they 
gave  security  and  repose  to  two  hundred  thousand  families, 
who  a  week  before  then,  could  not  fall  asleep  any  night,  with 
the  certainty  of  escaping  fire  or  the  tomahawk  until  morning." 

Never  since  the  white  man  first  trod  Manhattan  Island 
had  food  and  clothing  been  so  difficult  to  obtain ;  and  yet  the 

2IO 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


great  mass  of  the  people  of  New  York  City  did  not  seem  to 
be  at  all  anxious  about  national  affairs.  They  had  become 
accustomed  to  the  war,  and  domestic  life  went  very  well  then, 
to  its  triumphs  and  excitements  of  many  kinds.  For,  if  the 
prices  of  all  the  necessities  and  conveniences  of  life  were 
high,  there  were  plenty  of  treasury  notes  to  pay  for  them; 
and  very  frequently  valuable  cargoes  were  brought,  or  sent, 
into  port  as  prizes  of  some  of  the  American  privateers  that 
were  then  swarming  on  the  ocean. 

Harrison's  victory  and  the  approach  of  winter  gave  New 
York  a  feeling  of  present  security,  and  the  city  was  unusually 
gay.  General  Moreau's  princely  entertainments  were  hardly 
missed,  for  the  St.  Anges'  dinners  and  balls  were  even  more 
frequent,  and  more  splendid;  and  Annette  presided  over 
these  functions  with  a  marvellous  grace  and  tact.  She 
seemed,  at  this  time,  to  have  realised  her  utmost  ambition, 
and  to  be  happy  and  satisfied  in  the  actuality.  Even  the 
judge  was  more  hospitable  than  he  had  ever  before  been; 
and  madame  was  in  a  perpetual  flutter  between  the  dinners 
of  her  son  Gerardus  and  the  dances  of  her  granddaughter, 
Annette. 

So  to  the  thrill  of  warlike  drums  and  trumpets  and  the 
witching  music  of  the  dance  fiddle  Sappha's  wooing  went 
happily  forward.  There  was  constant  movement  between 
the  Bowling  Green,  Nassau  Street,  and  the  Semple  house; 
and  it  was  just  as  well  Leonard  had  not  opened  any  law  book, 
for  in  these  days  all  his  reading  and  research  was  in  the  light 

211 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  love  of  Sappha's  eyes.  Certainly  in  the  City  Commis 
sioner's  office  his  work  was  trifling  and  inconstant,  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  was  spent  in  the  civil  services  neces 
sary  for  the  comfort  of  the  many  militia  companies  then  in 
the  city.  In  this  respect  he  held  a  kind  of  non-official  over 
sight;  for  he  was  always  ready  to  personally  supply,  at  once, 
comforts  which  otherwise  would  have  been  delayed.  Con 
sequently  he  was  welcome  in  every  guard-room,  and  no 
young  man  in  New  York  was  more  popular  or  more 
respected. 

Judge  Bloommaert  was  well  aware  of  this  fact,  and  yet 
there  were  times  when  the  old  dislike  would  assert  itself; 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  feeling  was  usually  caused 
by  Leonard's  overflowing  vitality,  his  almost  boisterous  good 
humour,  and  his  confident  conversation. 

"  The  fellow  never  knows  when  he  has  ceased  to  be  inter 
esting,"  he  said  one  night  fretfully,  "  and  you  and  Sappha 
hang  upon  his  words  as  if  they  were  very  wisdom.  I  am 
astonished  at  you,  Carlita." 

"  And  I  at  you,  Gerardus.  Why  cannot  you  two  talk  an 
hour  together  without  getting  on  each  others'  prejudices?  " 

"  Leonard  is  always  so  cock-sure  he  is  right." 

"  Convice  him  he  is  wrong." 

"  You  cannot  handle  his  arguments  any  more  than  you 
can  handle  soap  bubbles;  both  are  so  empty." 

"  I  think  he  is  very  interesting.  He  knows  all  that  is 
going  on,  and  he  tells  us  all  he  knows." 

212, 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


"  To  be  sure!  He  is  a  walking  newspaper,  and  the  lead 
ing  article  is  always  Leonard  Murray.  Whatever  does 
Sapphira  Bloommaert  see  in  him?  I  am  sure,  also,  that  he 
keeps  up  his  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Burr.  Yet  he  knows 
my  opinion  about  that  man." 

"  Well,  you  see,  Gerardus,  though  you  may  interfere 
somewhat  in  Leonard  Murray's  love  affairs,  you  cannot 
dictate  to  him  concerning  his  friends.  Suppose  he  should 
tell  you  that  he  did  not  approve  of  your  friendship  with  Mr. 
Morris?" 

"  The  impertinence  is  not  supposable,  Carlita.  What 
are  you  thinking  of?  Such  remarks  are  enough  to  make  any 
man  lose  his  temper." 

"  Very  likely,  but  if  you  lose  your  present  temper,  Ger 
ardus,  do  not  look  for  it;  it  is  not  worth  finding.  Do  you 
really  wish  to  separate  Sappha  and  Leonard,  after  all  that  has 
been  said  and  granted  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  say  that.  Cannot  a  man  grumble  a  little  to 
his  wife?  And  must  she  take  every  fretful  word  at  its  full 
value?  People  complain  of  bonds  they  would  never  break. 
As  the  Dutch  proverb  has  it,  '  The  tooth  often  bites  the 
tongue,  but  yet  they  keep  together.'  " 

"  Dear  husband,  all  will  come  right  in  the  long  run. 
Leonard  is  in  a  very  hard  position.  He  desires  to  please  so 
much  that  he  exceeds,  and  so  offends.  He  loves  Sappha  with 
all  his  heart;  that  should  excuse  many  faults." 

"  I  do  not  see  it  in  that  way.  It  is  not  a  favour  to  love 
213 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Sapphira,  nor  yet  a  hard  thing  to  do.  What  are  you  talking 
about?" 

"  I  am  saying  that  we  both  need  sleep.  We  are  tired  out 
now.  In  the  morning  things  will  look  so  different." 

Such  little  frets,  however,  hardly  ruffled  the  full  stream 
of  the  life  of  that  day.  There  were  plenty  of  real  worries 
for  those  who  wished  to  complain ;  and  for  those  inclined  to 
take  the  fervour  and  faith,  the  courage  and  self-denial  of  the 
time,  there  were  plenty  of  occasions  for  happiness  and  hope. 
And  so  the  winter  grew  to  spring,  and  the  spring  waxed  to 
summer,  and  June  brought  roses  and  the  most  astonishing 
news. 

It  came  to  the  Bloommaert's  one  morning  as  they  were  sit 
ting  at  the  breakfast  table.  The  meal  was  over,  but  they 
lingered  together  discussing  a  dinner  party  which  Annette 
was  to  give  that  day,  and  their  order  of  going  to  it.  It  was 
a  special  dinner,  to  which  only  relatives  of  the  family  were 
invited,  and  was  given  in  honour  of  Annette's  little  daughter, 
then  six  weeks  old.  Madame  was  present,  and  took  an  eager 
interest  in  the  affair,  for  the  child  had  been  called  by  her 
name;  and  she  had  with  her  the  deed  of  a  house  in  Cedar 
Street,  which  she  was  going  to  put  into  the  little  Jonaca's 
hand. 

Leonard  had  promised  to  call  for  Sappha  at  twrlve  o'clock, 
but  the  judge  was  advising  them  to  go  early,  when  the  par 
lour  door  was  thrown  open  with  some  impetuosity,  and 
Leonard  stood  looking  at  the  group  with  a  face  full  of  con- 

214 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


flicting  emotions.  In  a.  moment  every  one  had  divined  that 
he  had  important  news,  and  the  judge  rose  to  his  feet  and 
asked  impatiently: 

"What  is  it,  Leonard?" 

"  Two  hundred  thousand  French  troops  are  prisoners  of 
war.  Paris  is  in  possession  of  the  allies.  Napoleon  has  been 
exiled.  The  Bourbons  are  again  on  the  throne  of  France." 

"  My  God!    Is  all  this  true,  Leonard?  " 

"  There  is  not  a  doubt  of  it." 

"  Then  I  must  go  and  see  Gouverneur  Morris  at  once. 
Tell  Annette  I  will  be  on  time  for  dinner."  And  he  hurried 
away  with  these  words,  and  left  Leonard  to  discuss  the  news 
and  the  dinner  with  the  three  excited  women. 

There  was  now  no  unnecessary  delay,  for  the  streets  were 
already  in  a  state  of  commotion,  the  news  having  spread  like 
wildfire.  Nor  could  they  escape  the  influence  of  the  fervid 
atmosphere  through  which  they  passed  ;  the  glowing  sunshine 
was  not  more  ardent  than  the  passionate  rejoicing  and  the 
passionate  hatred  that  challenged  each  other  at  every  step 
of  their  progress.  Even  the  shadowy  stillness  of  the  Semple 
gardens  and  the  large,  cool  rooms  of  the  house  were  full  of 
the  same  restless  antagonising  spirit.  Annette's  cousins,  the 
Verplancks  and  the  Van  Burens,  and  her  aunt,  Joanna  de 
Vries,  speedily  followed  them,  but  it  was  only  the  women  of 
the  families  that  entered  the  house  ;  the  men  hastened  back  to 
Broadway  and  the  Battery  to  hear  and  to  discuss  the  news. 
And  it  was  hard  for  Annette  to  keep  a  smiling  face  over  her 

215 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


angry  heart.  Who  were  the  Bourbons  that  they  should 
interfere  with  her  affairs?  Indeed,  she  complained  to  her 
grandmother  bitterly  of  Achille's  strange  conduct.  He  had 
left  her  in  the  midst  of  their  breakfast,  left  her  as  soon  as  he 
heard  the  news,  without  one  thought  as  to  the  family  duties 
devolving  on  him  that  day.  And  madame  had  not  been  too 
sympathetic.  "  You  have  been  crying,  Annette,"  she  said. 
"  I  am  afraid  you  have  a  discontented  temper.  For  the 
dinner,  your  husband  will  return." 

"  I  know  not,  grandmother.  When  that  pastry  cook 
flung  open  our  parlour  door  and  cried  out  'Achille!  Achille! 
Napoleon  is  in  exile!  The  Bourbons  are  on  the  throne  of 
France  again/'  Achille  flung  himself  into  the  man's  arms,  and 
they  kissed  each  other.  Grandmother,  they  kissed  each  other, 
and  then  went  off  together  as  if  they  were  out  of  their 
senses." 

"  But  to  you  also,  Achille  spoke  ?  Of  the  dinner  he  spoke  ; 
I  know  it.  " 

"  He  said  he  would  return  in  time  for  dinner;  but  he  will 
forget  —  he  was  beside  himself  -  " 

"  Come,  come,  let  not  Joanna  de  Vries  see  that  you  are 
vexed  at  any  thing.  Too  much  she  will  have  to  say.  Here 
comes  Madame  Rutgers!  Shall  we  go  to  them?  " 

Then  Annette  went  to  welcome  her  guests,  and,  with 
longer  or  shorter  delays,  the  company  gathered.  Every  one 
had  something  strange  to  add  to  the  general  excitement,  but 
it  was  only  the  women  that  chattered  and  quarrelled  until  near 

216 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


two  o'clock.  Then  the  judge  and  Leonard  came  in  together, 
and  were  soon  followed  by  the  young  Verplanks,  Commis 
sioner  Van  Buren  and  his  two  sons,  and  Cornelius  Bogart, 
Annette's  favourite  cousin. 

But  Achille  at  two  o'clock  had  not  arrived,  and  the  din 
ner  was  ready,  and  the  company  waiting  —  the  men  very  im 
patiently,  for  at  "  high  'Change  "  they  had  taken  their  usual 
nooning  of  a  piece  of  raw  salt  codfish  and  a  glass  of  punch, 
and  they  knew  that  the  ordinary  at  the  Tontine  Coffee 
House,  in  Wall  Street,  would  have  at  three  o'clock  a  dinner 
very  much  more  to  their  mind,  considering  the  news  of  the 
day  and  the  disturbance  and  the  agitation  it  had  caused. 
Annette,  under  these  conditions,  had  nothing  to  offer  as 
attractive.  The  women,  fair  and  otherwise,  were  the  women 
of  their  own  family  connections  ;  and  relations  must  be  taken 
as  found  ;  there  is  no  choice,  as  in  friends.  Which  of  us  has 
not  relations  that  would  never  be  on  our  list  of  friends  ? 

So  there  was  an  uncomfortable  hour  of  waiting,  and  as 
Achille  came  not  Madame  Bloommaert  proposed  to  serve 
dinner  without  his  presence.  "  For  one  laggard,"  she  said, 
"  to  keep  twenty-eight  people  waiting  is  not  right,  Annette. 
At  once,  now,  the  dinner  ought  to  be  served." 

Annette  agreed  to  this,  but  it  was  hard  for  her  to  smile, 
and  to  keep  back  tears.  However,  just  as  Judge  Bloom 
maert  was  going  to  take  Achille's  place  the  laggard  entered. 
And  he  was  in  such  a  radiant  mood  that  he  passed  over  as 
insignificant  his  delay.  "  He  was  a  little  late  —  he  had  for- 

217 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


gotten  —  but  then  it  was  remarkable  that  he  should  have 
remembered  at  all.  Such  news!  Such  glorious  news?  Oh, 
it  had  been  a  wonderful  morning  !  " 

In  further  conversation  he  said  his  friend  Monsieur  de 
Singeron  had  presented  his  business  to  a  poor  French  family. 
"  He  is  going  home!  He  is  beside  himself  with  joy!"  he 
continued.  "  He  will  be  restored  to  his  rank,  and  to  his 
command  in  the  royal  guards!  Ah!  it  is  enough  to  have 
lived  to  see  this  day.  It  atones,  it  atones  for  all  !  "  And 
Achille,  who  could  neither  eat  nor  drink,  sat  smiling  at  every 
one.  He  was  sure  all  reasonable  people  must  feel  as  he  did. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Judge  Bloommaert,  "  most  of  the  French 
exiles  will  return,  as  soon  as  they  can,  to  their  native 
country." 

"  They  will  make  no  delays,"  answered  Achille.  "  It 
was  a  good  sight  to  watch  them  on  the  ship  and  the  river 
bank.  They  were  unhappy,  uncertain,  until  they  saw  with 
their  own  eyes  the  frigate  that  had  brought  the  glad  news. 
and  her  captain  understood.  He  permitted  the  crowd  to 
tread  her  deck.  He  flew  over  them  the  lilies  of  France. 
He  spoke  to  them  in  their  own  tongue.  Ah,  my  friends, 
you  will  sympathise  with  these  sad  exiles  ;  you  will  not  won 
der  that  they  knelt  down  and  wept  tears  of  joy!  " 

Indeed,  Achille  was  so  transported  with  his  own  sym 
pathies  that  he  failed  to  perceive  the  atmosphere  of  dissent 
among  his  guests.  True,  the  judge's  fellow  feeling  was  evi 
dent,  also  that  of  the  Verplanks,  but  the  De  Vries  family 

2I& 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


and  the  Van  Burens  were  in  hot  opposition  to  anything,  or 
any  one,  whom  the  Federalists  favoured.  So  the  element  of 
the  room  was  not  conducive  to  domestic  rejoicing;  and  the 
dinner  was  virtually  a  failure.  The  men  of  the  party  were 
all  anxious  to  return  to  their  clubs  or  gathering-places;  and 
the  women,  left  to  themselves,  soon  exhausted  their  admira 
tion  for  the  little  Jonaca,  and  remembered  their  own  homes 
and  household  affairs.  And  as  the  day  waned,  the  thick 
trees  surrounding  the  Semple  house  filled  the  rooms  with 
shadows,  and  Annette  —  a  little  dismayed  by  Achille's  con 
duct  —  could  not  lift  her  flagging  spirits  to  the  proper  pitch  of 
hospitality.  Then  Joanna  de  Vries  opened  the  way  for  an  early 
retreat.  She  spoke  of  the  restless  streets,  and  of  her  father's 
great  age  and  loneliness,  and  immediately  every  one  recol 
lected  duties  equally  as  important.  And  as  madame  intended 
to  remain  with  Annette,  Mrs.  Bloommaert  and  Sappha  also 
took  their  departure. 

It  was  a  beautiful  summer  evening,  and  the  streets, 
though  neither  crowded  nor  boisterous,  were  full  of  life. 
The  happy  French  residents  had  illuminated  their  houses, 
and  through  their  open  windows  came  joyful  sounds  of 
rejoicing  and  song.  Federalist  orators  were  addressing  small 
gatherings  of  people  at  the  street  corners,  and  Democratic 
orators  contradicting  all  they  said  at  the  next  block.  Ap 
plause,  laughter,  derision,  enthusiasm  of  one  kind  or  another 
thrilled  the  warm  air,  and  the  joy  and  pang  of  life  assailed 
the  heart  or  imagination  at  every  step. 

219 


On  the  Bowling  Green  there  was  a  very  respectable 
audience  listening  to  Gouverneur  Morris,  who  was  speaking 
in  such  passionate  accord  with  Achille's  sentiments  that  it 
was  astonishing  not  to  find  Achille  at  his  right  hand. 

"  Mr.  Morris  is  the  most  eloquent  speaker  of  the  age," 
said  Leonard ;  "  let  us  listen  a  few  minutes  to  his  words." 
And  as  they  did  so,  they  heard  the  embryo  utterance  of  that 
remarkable  "  Bourbon  speech  "  which  he  made  a  few  days 
afterwards  in  Dr.  Romeyn's  church  in  Cedar  Street: 

"  The  Bourbons  are  restored.  Rejoice,  France,  Spain, 
Portugal,  Europe,  rejoice!  Nations  of  Europe,  ye  are 
brethren  once  more!  The  family  of  nations  is  complete. 
Embrace,  rejoice!  And  thou,  too,  my  much  wronged  coun 
try!  my  dear,  abused,  self-murdered  country!  bleeding  as 
thou  art,  rejoice!  The  Bourbons  are  restored.  The  long 
agony  is  over.  The  Bourbons  are  restored !  " 

"  Let  us  go  home,  Leonard,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  "  I 
never  heard  so  much  praise  of  the  Bourbons  before.  My 
father  did  not  approve  of  them.  If  Napoleon  is  done  with, 
why  did  not  the  French  people  insist  on  a  republic?  They 
had  Lafayette — and  others." 

Leonard  answered  only,  "  Yes."  He  did  not  wish  to  open 
the  subject  of  the  helplessness  of  France,  nor  point  out  how 
absurdly  irrational  it  would  be  for  the  allied  kings  of 
Europe  to  found  a  republic  in  their  midst.  He  felt  weary 
of  the  subject,  and  the  sense  of  the  evening's  failure  affected 
him.  It  had  been  a  disappointing  day,  what  was  the  good 

220 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


of  prolonging  it?  Sappha  and  Leonard  might  have  fallen 
into  the  mistake  of  doing  so,  but  Mrs.  Bloommaert  knew 
better.  At  the  doorstep  she  positively  dismissed  Leonard, 
who  could  not  quite  hide  the  fact  that  he  was  willing  to  obey 
her.  But  Sappha,  who  had  hoped  to  charm  away  this  feel 
ing  of  tediousness  and  lassitude  when  they  were  alone,  was 
vexed  at  losing  her  opportunity. 

"  It  was  not  kind  of  you,  mother,  to  send  Leonard  off  as 
soon  as  we  had  done  with  him.  He  was  weary,  too,"  she 
said. 

"Weary!  I  should  think  he  was,"  answered  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  ;  "  he  must  be  worn  out  with  women  to-day. 
Such  a  crowd  of  us  as  Annette  got  together." 

"  The  women  were  not  more  disagreeable  than  the  men, 
mother,"  said  Sappha.  "  And  I  believe  Leonard  has  gone 
straight  to  the  militia  guard-rooms  —  there  are  nothing  but 
men  there,  and  so  he  can  rest." 

"  I  hope  he  has  not  gone  to  any  guard-room.  Every  one 
will  be  quarrelling  with  his  neighbour  to-night." 

Leonard  had,  indeed,  gone  to  the  guard-room  of  the  Jersey 
Blues,  but  his  visit  was  decidedly  against  his  inclination.  He 
was  as  weary  as  Mrs.  Bloommaert  had  supposed  him  to  be  — 
weary  of  the  Bourbons,  and  of  the  passionate  fratching  about 
them;  weary  of  men,  and  of  women  also;  weary  of  com 
panionship  of  all  kinds;  weary  of  noise  and  strain  of  the 
restless  city;  weary  of  life  itself.  Vital  and  large  as  his 
nervous  force  was,  it  had  become  exhausted;  feeling  had 

221 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


wasted  it,  and  disappointment  been  equally  depleting.  He 
resolved  when  he  turned  from  the  Bloomnaaert  house  to  go 
direct  to  his  rooms  in  the  City  Hotel  and  seek  in  solitude 
and  sleep  a  renewal  of  strength  and  hope.  On  the  steps  of 
the  hotel  an  old  acquaintance  accosted  him,  and  Leonard 
rather  reluctantly  asked  "  if  he  had  come  to  see  him?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  man.  "  I  am  in  trouble,  Mr.  Mur 
ray,  and  I  could  think  of  no  one  but  you  to  give  me  some 
advice.  It  is  about  Miss  Martin.  You  remember  pretty 
Sarah  Martin?  We  were  engaged,  and  she  has  broken  the 
engagement.  I  am  very  unhappy.  I  do  not  know  what  to 
do.  I  think  you  can  tell  me." 

"  I  am  going  to  my  rooms  now.  Come  upstairs  with  me, 
McKenzie." 

"  I  cannot.  I  must  be  back  at  the  guard-room  in  half  an 
hour.  Will  you  not  go  with  me?  We  can  talk  there  well 
enough." 

Then  Leonard  went  with  McKenzie,  and  after  the  little 
formalities  with  the  men  present  in  the  guard-room  were 
over,  Leonard  and  McKenzie  took  chairs  to  an  open  window 
and  began  their  consultation.  And  very  soon  Leonard  threw 
off  his  lassitude  and  became  heartily  interested  in  his  friend's 
trouble.  Suddenly  a  voice,  blatant  and  dictatorial,  fell  upon 
his  consciousness.  It  was  the  voice  of  a  man  who  had  been 
a  member  of  the  company  raised  by  Leonard,  and  who  dur 
ing  the  whole  term  of  its  service  was  a  source  of  annoyance 
and  disputing  —  a  man  of  low  birth  and  of  a  mean,  envious 

222 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


nature,  who  had  neither  a  good  education  nor  good  breed 
ing,  and,  indeed,  who  affected  to  despise  both.  Leonard's 
youth,  beauty,  fine  culture,  and  fine  manners,  added  to  his 
great  wealth  and  popularity,  roused  at  once  Horace  Gilson's 
envy;  and  envy  in  the  close  companionship  of  a  military  fort 
quickly  grew  to  an  almost  uncontrollable  hatred.  And  in 
Gilson's  nature  hatred  had  its  proper  soil;  he  was  insensible 
to  the  nobler  qualities  of  humanity,  and  persuaded  himself  — 
and  other  of  his  kind  —  that  Leonard's  gracious  forbearance 
was  not  the  fine  courtesy  of  an  officer  to  hfs  subordinate,  but 
the  fear  of  a  timid  and  effeminate  spirit.  Indeed,  Leonard's 
three  months'  service  had  been  made  an  hourly  trial  by  the 
hardly  concealed  mockery  and  contempt  of  Horace  Gilson. 
Of  all  men  in  the  wide  world  he  was  the  very  last  Leonard 
wished  to  see.  He  moved  his  chair  a  little  nearer  to  Mc- 
Kenzie,  and  by  so  doing  faced  the  open  window  only.  Mc- 
Kenzie  continued  talking,  unmindful  of  Gilson's  entrance, 
but  Leonard  heard  above  all  he  said  the  sneering  taunt  and 
scoffing  laugh  of  the  man  he  despised  and  disliked.  Every 
one  and  everything  appeared  to  provoke  his  disdain,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  two  men 
sitting  apart  at  the  window. 

"  Secrets  !  Secrets  !  "  he  cried  with  effusive  familiarity. 
"  We  will  have  no  secrets  in  a  guard-room.  Out  with  the 
ladies'  names  —  if  you  are  not  ashamed  of  them." 

Leonard  looked  indifferently  out  of  the  window;  it  was 
McKenzie's  affair,  not  his.  And  McKenzie,  laying  his  hand 

223 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


upon  his  pistol  in  an  almost  mechanical  way,  merely  glanced 
at  the  bully  and  said  :  "  You  had  better  mind  your  own 
business,  sir." 

"  I  am  not  speaking  to  you,  McKenzie,"  Gilson  answered. 
"  I  am  addressing  Captain  Murray,  the  great  New  York 
Adonis  and  lady  killer!  Come,  captain,  your  latest 
victories  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Gilson,"  answered  Leonard,  "  my  friend  and  I  are 
discussing  private  concerns.  When  we  desire  your  company, 
we  will  let  you  know.  In  the  meantime,  we  wish  to  be 
alone." 

"  Now,  captain,  no  more  airs  from  you.  You  have  left 
the  militia,  you  know  —  three  months  used  up  your  patriot 
ism,"  answered  Gilson  scornfully. 

McKenzie  rose  in  a  passion.  "  Damn  your  impertinence, 
Gilson!  I'll  give  you  a  -  " 

"  Be  quiet,  Mac,"  interrupted  Leonard.  "  The  fool  is 
drunk  —  you  can't  even  horsewhip  a  drunken  man."  Then 
he  took  McKenzie  firmly  by  the  arm  and  both  rose  to  leave 
the  room. 

"  Drunk,  eh?"  cried  Gilson  in  a  rage.  "  Drunk!  It  is 
well  for  you  both  to  get  out  of  my  way,  for  I'll  pay  you  all 
I  owe  you  yet,  Murray  —  you,  and  your  damned  dollars! 
Go  and  see  if  you  can  buy  a  little  common  dog-courage  with 
them." 

"  Let  me  knock  the  ranting  bully  down,  Murray." 

"  He  is  not  worth  it." 

224 


THE    INCIDENT    OF    MARRIAGE 


By  this  time  the  men  present  were  on  their  feet,  some 
urging  Murray  to  leave  the  room,  some  trying  to  talk  reason 
into  Gilson,  who  became  more  and  more  defiant  as  the 
objects  of  his  abuse  passed  out  of  the  hearing  of  it. 

It  was  a  wretched  ending  to  a  disagreeable  day,  and 
Leonard  sat  half  through  the  midsummer  night  fretting  and 
fuming  over  the  incident.  He  was  not  a  quarrelsome  man, 
and  a  quarrel  with  Horace  Gilson  was  an  affair  too  low  and 
despicable  to  contemplate.  Why  had  McKenzie  come  to 
him  with  his  trouble?  He  felt  the  injustice  of  the  visit.  If 
he  had  been  a  few  minutes  later  he  would  have  missed  the 
man  and  the  annoyance  that  had  grown  out  of  his  sympathy 
with  him.  He  looked  wistfully  out  of  the  window  towards 
the  Bioommaert  house,  and  remembered  Sappha,  but 
speedily  exiled  her  from  his  thoughts,  because  he  could  not 
keep  the  scene  at  the  guard-room  out  of  them  ;  and  it  seemed 
a  sacrilege  to  have  both  in  his  consciousness  at  the  same  time. 

However,  after  an  irritating  vigil  of  some  hours  he  fell 
asleep  with  sheer  weariness,  and  when  he  awakened  near 
noon  on  the  following  day  Nature  had  accomplished  her 
renovating  work.  The  Unseen  Powers  had  cradled  his  soul 
into  peace,  cleared  away  the  rack  and  wreckage  of  an  unfor 
tunate  day,  and  filled  his  exhausted  spirit  with  the  miraculous 
strength  of  Faith  and  Hope. 


225 


CHAPTER 
EIGHT 


The  Rose  of  Renunciation 


/\ 


S  Leonard  dressed  himself  he  recollected 
the  guard-room  quarrel  and  smiled.  It 
seemed  really  so  ridiculous  and  ineffectual; 
yet  he  resolved  to  avoid  Gilson  as  much  as 
possible.  "  The  man  was  drunk,"  he 
thought,  "  but  sober  or  drunk,  he  has  an  envious  nature,  and 
a  tongue  ready  for  ill  words.  Perhaps  he  may  seek  me  out 
and  continue  his  offensive  behavior.  What  then?"  He 
pondered  this  likelihood  a  few  moments,  and  then  asked  him 
self  cheerfully : 

"  Why  should  I  worry  about  the  probability  of  such  a 
thing?  As  if  it  mattered."  But  it  is  hard  to  tell  what 
matters,  though  safe  enough  to  say  that  in  conduct  it  is  best 
not  to  make  trifles  of  trifles.  For  there  is  an  amazing  vital 
ity  in  some  trifles,  and  we  know  not  which  may  abort 
ively  pass  and  which  may  become  of  momentous  impor 
tance. 

Yet,  for  two  days  Leonard  hardly  thought  of  Gilson  and 
his  drunken  abuse;  or  if  it  entered  his  mind  it  was  only  as 
an  annoying  and  commonplace  event  that  he  was  in  no  way 
responsible  for.  He  had  not  one  fear  that  it  could  pos- 

226 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


sibly  have  any  serious  effect  upon  his  life.  And  as  it  hap 
pened  the  two  days  following  Annette's  dinner  party 
were  exceedingly  happy  ones  to  Sappha  and  Leonard.  One 
of  them  was  spent  with  Madame  Bloommaert  in  Nassau 
Street,  and  another  with  Annette  at  the  Semple  house. 
Then  came  Saturday,  and  Leonard  went  early  in  the  after 
noon  to  the  Bowling  Green.  It  was  a  very  warm  day,  the 
parlour  windows  in  Judge  Bloommaert's  house  were  open, 
and  Sappha  was  sitting  in  the  sunshine  happily  indolent. 
She  smiled  a  thousand  welcomes  as  he  entered,  but  did  not 
move,  for  her  lap  was  full  of  knotted  embroidery  silks,  and 
Leonard  seated  himself  at  her  side,  and  together  they  began 
to  slowly  unravel  and  sort  the  tangled  skeins.  So  happy, 
so  merry,  were  they  !  their  hands  touching,  their  heads  touch 
ing,  light  laughter  and  loving  whispers  feeding  their  hearts 
with  a  full  content. 

When  the  judge  came  home  Sappha  and  Leonard  rose 
gaily  to  meet  him,  but  they  were  both  chilled  by  his  manner, 
which  was  constrained  and  unfriendly.  A  sense  of  some 
thing  unpleasant  swept  out  of  cognisance  the  innocent  mirth 
that  had  pervaded  the  room;  and  in  a  moment  its  mental 
atmosphere  was  changed.  It  was  embarrassing,  because 
Leonard  did  not  like  to  presume  there  was  an  offence  —  it 
might  be  only  a  passing  mood,  and  the  mood  might  be  caused 
by  something  or  by  some  person  outside  of  their  interfer 
ence.  So  the  suddenly  checked  lovers  sat  silent,  or  only 
made  whispered  remarks  about  the  condition  of  the  silks. 

227 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


One  of  these  remarks  attracted  the  judge's  attention,  and 
he  turned  to  the  apparently  busy  young  man  and  said: 
"  Sappha  has  given  you  a  pretty  tangle  to  straighten  out  — 
Leonard."  He  spoke  Leonard's  name  with  a  hesitation  that 
was  almost  like  a  withdrawal  of  the  position  that  had  been 
given  him,  and  Leonard  felt  the  reluctance  keenly,  yet  he 
answered  with  much  cheerfulness. 

"  Patience  will  win  her  way,  sir  —  she  does  in  every  tangle. 
One  by  one  the  knots  are  being  untied." 

"  You  might  cut  them,"  said  the  judge. 

"  That  would  be  wasteful  and  foolish,  sir.  No  one  would 
be  the  gainer,  and  no  one  would  be  satisfied.  I  will  unravel 
them  —  with  Sappha's  help." 

"  Well,  Leonard,"  —  this  time  the  name  was  spoken  a  little 
more  pleasantly  —  "  well,  Leonard,  I  can  tell  you  there  is 
an  ugly  tangle  up  the  street  for  you  either  to  cut,  or  to  un 
ravel.  And  I  must  say,  I  am  astonished,  not  to  say  dis 
pleased,  at  your  neglecting  it  for  three  days." 

"  A  tangle  up  the  street,  sir,  —  a  tangle  I  have  neg 
lected!" 

"  You  certainly  have  not  forgotten  your  quarrel  with 
Horace  Gilson  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  had  no  quarrel  with  the  fellow  !  How  could  I  ? 
He  was  drunk." 

"  Not  too  drunk  to  tell  you  that  you  had  only  three 
months'  worth  of  patriotism;  not  too  drunk  to  bid  you  buy 
a  little  dog-courage  with  your  dirty  dollars.  Sir,  you  ought 

228 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 

«o<s=>oo«^=>(w<s=>coo<=>oeo-2=>ooo<^=»eoo<^3>cco<^=='flCfl'C=s>floo«^=>o»<s=>o»<^=>«oo 

to  have  stopped  such  remarks  as  quickly  as  they  were  made — 
yes,  sir,  they  ought  to  have  been  stopped  peremptorily, 
whether  they  were  drunk  or  sober  remarks." 

"  But,  judge,  you  cannot  talk  to  a  drunken  man — you 
cannot  reason  with  a  drunken  man " 

"  Well,  then,  you  can  knock  him  down.  That  is  an 
argument  even  a  drunken  man  will  understand." 

"  Father!  "  cried  Sappha  with  indignation,  as  she  stood 
with  flashing  eyes  before  him.  "  Father,  to  knock  a  drunken 
man  down  would  be  as  bad  as  to  knock  an  insane  man  down. 
In  both  cases  it  would  be  brutal." 

"  When  men  make  themselves  into  brutes  it  is  just  to 
treat  them  like  brutes."  \ 

"  I  never  heard  such  nonsense!  such  cruel  nonsense!  I 
think  Leonard  did  quite  right  to  ignore  the  fellow." 

"  You  have  no  business,  miss,  to  think  anything  about 
such  subjects.  Go  to  your  mother." 

"  Mother  went  to  Nassau  Street  long  ago." 

"  I  want  her.  Tell  her  to  come  home  immediately.  And 
I  do  not  want  you.  It  is  necessary  for  me  to  speak  to  Leon 
ard  alone." 

"  Very  well.  I  shall  go  for  mother."  But  ere  she  left 
the  room  she  took  Leonard's  hands  in  hers  and  kissed  him. 
There  was  a  whispered  word  also,  which  the  judge  did  not 
hear,  but  the  girl's  act  of  sympathy  was  irritating  enough. 
He  drew  his  lips  wide  and  tight,  and  as  soon  as  Sappha  closed 
the  door  he  said : 

229 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Now,  sir,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  Gilson  has  been 
vapouring  from  Dan  to  Beersheba  about  your — cowardice, 
and  your  want  of  patriotism;  and  Mr.  Ogden  told  me  that 
when  he  instanced  your  frequent  generous  loans  to  the  city 
Gilson  laughed  and  said  you  had  made  forty  per  cent,  on 
them.  '  You  and  your  father,'  he  added,  '  were  both  canny 
Scots,  and  knew  cleverly  how  to  rub  one  dollar  into  two.'  " 

"  Judge,  my  father " 

"  Wait  a  little.  Why  have  you  not  been  in  any  of  your 
usual  resorts  since  Wednesday  night?  It  does  not  look 
right — the  rascal  has  had  a  clear  field  for  all  the  scurrilous 
lies  he  chose  to  tell." 

"  Sir,  if  I  had  known  that  the  man  was  lying  soberly 
about  me,  I  would  surely  have  given  him  openly  the  name  he 
merits.  But  I  did  not  dream  that  he  would  dare  to  say  out 
of  liquor  what  he  said  in  liquor;  for  he  is  a  quaking  coward, 
and  as  fearful  as  a  whipped  child.  Others  are  behind  him  in 
this  bluster.  Alas,  my  money  has  never  brought  me  any 
thing  but  envy  and  ill-will — no  matter  how  heartily  I  give 
it !  What  would  you  advise  me  to  do,  sir  ?  " 

"  Make  the  man  hold  his  tongue." 

"How?" 

The  judge  was  silent  a  moment,  then  with  a  touch  of 
scorn  he  answered :  "  There  is  the  law.  Sue  him  for 
slander.  He  is  said  to  be  worth  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
Lay  your  damages  at  twenty  thousand.  Your  friend,  Mr. 
Burr,  will  defend  your  case  very  feelingly,  no  doubt." 

230 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


And  with  some  anger  Leonard  answered  :  "  That  course 
is  out  of  the  question,  sir." 

"  Well,  then,  write  a  letter  to  the  newspapers." 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  lend  the  fellow's  words  so  much 
importance." 

"  Then  give  him  his  lies  back  generally,  and  particularly 
—  give  him  them  back  on  the  street,  and  in  the  guard-room, 
or  wherever  you  meet  him  —  and  make  a  point  of  meeting 
him,  here,  there,  and  everywhere." 

"  That  is  what  I  propose  to  do.  Then,  sir,  egged  on  by 
those  whose  cue  he  is  now  following,  he  will  probably  chal 
lenge  me.  Shall  I  accept  his  challenge?" 

"  I  am  not  your  conscience  keeper,  Leonard." 

"  Put  the  question  then,  as  a  matter  of  social  expedi 
ency." 

"  If  the  social  verdict  is  what  you  want,  ask  Achilla  St. 
Ange.  He  is  a  good  authority." 

"  Once  more,  sir.  If  I  lift  this  foolish  business  to  the 
moral  plane,  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  Zounds  !  Leonard,  I  have  told  you  already  that  morally 
judging  this  question  I  hold  the  Decalogue  as  a  finality!  " 
And  with  these  words  the  judge  rose  to  his  feet.  It  was  evi 
dent  he  had  no  more  to  say  on  the  subject,  and  Leonard  bid 
him  "  good-afternoon  "  and  left  the  house.  There  had  been 
throughout  the  interview  a  want  of  sympathy  in  the  judge's 
manner  that  insinuated  suspicion,  or  at  least  uncertainty,  and 
Leonard  was  pained  and  offended  by  it.  Judge  Bloommaert 

231 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


had  known  him  intimately,  yet  he  had  permitted  the  evil 
tongue  of  a  stranger  to  influence  his  own  experience.  Angry 
tears  rose  unconsciously  to  his  eyes,  and  he  asked  himself 
what  did  it  profit  a  man  to  be  truthful  and  generous,  if  any 
dastardly  liar  could  smear  and  cancel  the  noblest  record? 
He  walked  up  the  Bowling  Green  with  a  burning  heart,  but 
Sappha  had  whispered  her  promise  to  be  near  the  statue ;  and 
he  soon  saw  the  flutter  of  her  white  gown  as  she  came  to 
meet  him.  They  entered  the  enclosure  and  sat  down  on  a 
bench  facing  that  heroic  representation  of  Washington, 
which,  made  of  wood,  shaped  and  coloured  to  imitate  the 
rosiest  glow  of  life,  was  the  best  artistic  effort  New  York 
was  capable  of  one  hundred  years  ago.*  But  even  if  Sappha 
and  Leonard  had  been  conscious  of  its  artistic  defects,  they 
cared  little  for  them  at  that  hour.  Their  own  affairs  were 
too  urgent,  too  perilously  near  to  trouble  again.  And 

*  This  marvellous  production  remained  on  the  Bowling  Green 
until  1843,  when  the  city's  art  critics  had  advanced  so  far  as  to 
allege  the  brilliant  statue  was  not  a  work  of  art;  and  in  deference 
to  their  opinion  it  was  sold  to  a  collector  of  antiquities,  who  kept 
it  forty  years.  Then  he  died,  and  it  was  sold  at  auction  for  $30x3. 
It  is  now  in  a  cigar  store  on  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street, 
where  it  fills  the  position  usually  given  to  the  wooden  Indian.  These 
facts  are  noticed  in  the  hope  that  the  millionaire  patriots  congre 
gating  round  the  Bowling  Green  may  find  it  in  their  hearts  not 
only  to  release  the  historic  statue  from  its  degrading  position,  but 
also  to  place  upon  the  empty  pedestal  a  statue  of  Washington 
worthy  of  the  situation  and  of  the  great  city  it  appeals  to. 

232 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


though  Sappha  was  full  of  sympathy  and  quite  determined 
to  uphold  Leonard  in  all  he  had  done  and  was  going  to  do, 
yet  she  at  once  gave  vent  to  her  womanish  fears  in  the  essen 
tially  provoking  query  :  "  Oh,  Leonard,  why  did  you  not 
show  yourself  in  the  city  the  last  three  days?  You  might 
have  known  people  would  say  you  were  afraid  of  that  dread 
ful  man." 

"  Dear  Sappha!  "  he  answered,  "  will  you,  too,  oblige  me 
to  explain  that  my  absence  from  my  usual  haunts  the  last 
three  days  was  quite  accidental;  you  wanted  me  to  go  to 
Nassau  Street  with  you  Thursday,  and  your  grandmother 
kept  us  all  day.  You  wanted  me  to  go  to  the  Semple  house 
with  you  Friday,  and  Annette  and  Achille  kept  us  all  day. 
This  morning  my  lawyer  brought  to  the  hotel  a  number  of 
papers  and  accounts,  and  it  was  noon  before  we  had  reviewed 
them.  Then  we  had  a  meal  together,  and  afterwards  I 
came  to  you.  How  could  I  imagine  Gilson's  unmerited 
abuse  of  me?  And  it  seems  I  had  no  friend  or  acquaintance 
willing  to  take  the  trouble  to  tell  me  how  the  man  was  slan 
dering  me  behind  my  back  —  everything,  and  every  one,  was 
against  me." 

"  Father  told  you  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  scandal." 
"  Yes,  but  not  very  kindly.  There  was  a  taste  of  doubt 
in  all  he  said.  And  he  would  give  me  no  positive  straight 
forward  advice.  I  feel  completely  at  sea  as  regards  his 
wishes.  I  am  going  this  evening  to  talk  the  matter  over  with 
Achille." 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Oh,  no!  Oh,  no!  Achilla  will  urge  you  to  fight  the 
low  creature.  I  cannot  bear  that,  Leonard." 

"  There  is  not  the  least  danger.  Gilson  would  be  a  child 
in  my  hands." 

"  You  never  know.  Accidents  happen  —  you  must  be  out 
of  practice,  and  then,  it  cannot  be  right.  I  don't  believe 
you  are  afraid  —  I  am  sure  you  are  not  —  but  I  do  not  want 
you  to  fight.  I  am  afraid  —  I  am  a  mortal  coward  about 
you.  You  must  not  accept  a  challenge,  if  he  sends  one.  I 
shall  die  of  fear.  I  shall,  indeed." 

"  If  it  should  become  necessary  to  fight,  I  am  any  man's 
equal.  My  sword  and  my  hands  are  trained  to  perfection. 
Even  Achille  admits  my  superiority.  I,  personally,  should 
not  be  in  the  least  danger.  In  fact,  I  am  both  with  sword 
and  pistol  so  much  more  expert  than  Gilson  that  it  would 
be  almost  cowardice,  as  well  as  cruelty,  to  meet  him  in  a 
duel.  There  could  be  no  justice  in  such  a  trial  of  right  or 
wrong  —  but  how  few  people  can  know  this?  Or  knowing 
it,  feel  that  it  might  bind  me  as  an  honourable  man  to  refuse 
the  duel." 

"  I  pray  you,  Leonard,  take  my  advice,  and  do  not  go  to 
Achille.  It  would  be  '  fight,  of  course  you  must  fight,'  with 
Achille.  He  would  hear  of  nothing  else.  And  for  my  sake, 
Leonard,  you  must  not  fight.  In  the  long  run,  father  would 
be  angry  if  you  did,  and  perhaps  make  it  an  excuse  for  separ 
ating  us.  Leonard;  promise  me  on  your  honour  not  to 
fight.  If  you  come  to  me  with  bloody  hands  I  will  not  take 

234 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 

them.  And  if  you  let  out  life  with  either  sword  or  pistol 
your  hand  will  be  forevermore  bloody.  No  water  will 
cleanse  it,  no  good  woman  will  touch  it,  no  saint  in  heaven 
clasp  it — better  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  you,  than  stain 
it  for  all  eternity."  She  was  quivering  with  feeling,  her 
eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and  her  voice  had  those  tones  of  tender 
authority  which  subjugate  as  well  as  persuade. 

"  My  dear  darling  little  preacher,"  Leonard  answered, 
"  I  promise  you  these  hands  shall  never  do  anything  to  make 
them  unworthy  to  clasp  yours."  And  he  took  her  hand, 
pressed  it  firmly  between  his  own,  and  kissed  his  promise 
upon  it.  Then  she  rose  smiling;  they  walked  together  to 
madame's  house,  and  at  the  gate  they  parted. 

But  though  somewhat  comforted,  Leonard  did  not  feel  as 
if  the  way  before  him  had  been  either  cleared  or  lightened ; 
in  fact,  his  promise  to  Sappha  had  in  some  measure  closed 
the  only  apparent  exit  out  of  the  dilemma.  At  the  moment 
of  promising  he  had  been  carried  away  by  his  love,  and  had 
not  thought  of  contingencies;  but  as  soon  as  he  was  alone 
"  the  tangle  "  became  more  and  more  of  a  tangle ;  and  unfor 
tunately  it  was  Saturday  evening;  the  streets  were  quiet, 
business  nearly  over  for  the  week,  men  generally  either  at 
home  with  their  families,  or  enjoying  in  their  company  the 
sail  up  the  river  or  the  concert  on  the  Battery. 

Not  knowing  what  to  do,  or  where  to  go,  he  did  nothing, 
and  went  nowhere  but  to  his  rooms  in  the  City  Hotel.  He 
was  determined  to  make  no  false  step.  Hurry  in  this  matter 

235 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


might  have  calamitous  consequences.  Out  of  just  such 
false,  wicked  words  lifelong  tragedies  had  often  come. 
And  there  was  Sappha  —  he  must  consider  Sappha  before 
himself. 

The  next  day  being  Sabbath,  he  went  to  the  Garden  Street 
Church  in  the  morning  and  to  Trinity  Church  in  the  after 
noon.  In  both  houses  he  met  acquaintances,  whose  recogni 
tion  of  him  appeared  to  be  cooler  and  more  constrained  than 
usual.  But  then  he  knew  that  he  was  suspicious,  and  the 
change  was  probably  only  an  imaginary  one.  When  he  left 
Trinity  he  walked  northward  to  the  Semple  house,  and  on 
the  way  met  at  least  two  painful  incidents,  which  were  not 
imagination:  When  opposite  the  City  Hall  Park  he  saw 
Doctor  Stevens  and  his  wife  approaching  him,  and  as  soon  as 
they  perceived  Leonard  they  crossed  Broadway  and  entered 
the  park.  And  as  this  movement  took  them  off  the  direct 
way  to  their  home  Leonard  was  justified  in  believing  they 
had  made  it  to  avoid  a  meeting  with  him.  The  circumstance 
pained  and  angered  him.  He  turned  quickly  into  Cham 
bers  Street,  and  saw  Mr.  Leonard  Fisher  coming  towards 
him.  Now,  Mr.  Fisher  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Wash 
ington  Benevolent  Society,  of  which  society  Leonard  had 
been  the  most  active  member.  On  business  of  relief  and 
charity  he  had  come  constantly  in  contact  with  Mr.  Fisher, 
and  always  in  a  temper  of  friendly  courtesy.  He  expected 
nothing  but  a  kindly  greeting  from  him,  but  when  he  was 
half  a  block  distant  Mr.  Fisher  crossed  the  street,  and  as 

236 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


Leonard  passed  he  kept  his  eyes  stubbornly  set  on  some 
object  in  front  of  him. 

Burning  with  a  sense  of  wrong  and  injustice,  Leonard 
hastened  forward  and  threw  himself  upon  Achille's  friend 
ship.  Here  he  was  not  disappointed.  Achille  entered  into 
his  feelings  and  espoused  his  cause  with  complete  understand 
ing  and  ardent  sympathy.  He  acknowledged  Francis  de 
Mille  had  said  something  of  the  slander  to  him  on  the 
previous  day,  but  that  he  had  laughed  away  the  words  as 
utterly  preposterous,  and  De  Mille  had  let  the  subject  drop. 
"  But,"  he  added,  "  it  can  be  dropped  no  longer.  Judge 
Bloommaert  is  right.  The  rascal  has  had  a  clear  field  too 
long  —  now,  he  must  be  made  to  acknowledge  his  lies,  as  lies  ; 
and  then  hold  his  tongue  about  your  affairs  forever." 

"  What  is  to  be  done,  Achille  ?  " 

"  There  is  but  one  way  —  for  a  man  of  honour.  You  must 
challenge  him  immediately." 

"  I  suppose  so  —  but  Sappha  is  distressed  at  the  idea.  I 
fear  I  shall  lose  her  if  I  do.  And  the  judge  is  against  the 
practice." 

"  Those  questions  come  afterwards.  Women  know  not 
their  own  minds.  If  you  fail  to  punish  this  ill-tongued  fel 
low,  Sappha,  in  her  heart,  will  despise  you  —  and  the  judge 
also.  Take  my  word  for  that  —  so  will  all  honourable  men. 
You  remember  that  affair  in  New  Orleans?  Duplicate 
it." 

This  last  remark  seemed  to  give  a  sudden  light  and  hope 

237 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


to  Leonard.  He  smiled  and  said  cheerfully:  "  That  would 
be  sufficient;  thank  you,  Achille.  Now  then,  where  am  I 
most  likely  to  meet  Gilson?  Do  you  know  his  haunts  or 
the  places  he  most  frequents  ?  " 

"We  can  easily  find  them  out.  Our  host  of  the  City 
Hotel  will  doubtless  be  able  to  give  us  information.  Look 
here,  Leonard,  I  have  the  plan  !  "  and  he  took  paper  and 
pencil  from  his  pocket,  and  the  two  bent  over  it  in  consulta 
tion  for  about  half  an  hour.  Then  Annette  joined  them, 
and  they  went  to  the  dinner  table,  and  afterwards  Achille 
told  Annette  the  dilemma  into  which  Leonard  had  fallen. 
He  said  nothing  of  a  duel,  however;  neither  did  Annette,  a 
circumstance  which  would  have  convinced  any  woman  that 
she  anticipated  that  result,  and  was  carefully  pondering  it. 
That  Leonard  stayed  with  them  all  night,  and  that  Achille 
went  out  with*  him  early  in  the  morning,  was  to  her  sub 
stantial  confirmation  of  her  suspicions. 

Privately,  she  was  very  angry.  Why  should  her  husband 
relate  himself  and  his  spotless  honour  with  a  man  whose 
character  had  been  so  shamefully  defamed?  It  was  in 
Annette's  eyes  a  piece  of  Quixotic  imprudence.  She  thought 
Achille  ought  to  have  remembered  that  he  had  a  wife  and 
daughter,  and  that,  at  least,  her  approval  should  have  been 
asked.  She  said  to  herself  that  it  was  not  unlikely  there 
was  some  truth  in  all  Mr.  Gilson  had  asserted.  Men  so 
available  as  Leonard  Murray  were  likely  to  be  womanish; 
and  he  was  always  dangling  after  Sappha  Bloommaert.  Gil- 

238 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


son  had  been  talking  for  three  days.  It  was  strange,  indeed, 
that  Leonard  had  not  stopped  such  imputations  at  once.  "  I 
don't  believe  he  was  ignorant  of  them,"  she  said,  and  in  her 
passion  she  uttered  the  words  aloud:  "  He  knew  all  about 
Gilson's  abuse,  but  he  thought  the  man  would  grow  weary, 
or  go  away,  or  that  Achille  or  some  of  his  friends,  would  lift 
the  quarrel  for  him.  And  when  none  of  these  conveniences 
have  come,  then  he  has  sought  out  my  husband.  Oh,  yes! 
he  knew  Achille  was  always  ready  for  a  fight — it  is  a  shame ! 
I  am  not  going  to  permit  it;  Leonard  Murray  must  conduct 
his  own  quarrels." 

-To  such  thoughts  she  nursed  her  surmised  wrongs  all 
day;  and  as  Achille  did  not  return  home  until  very  late  she 
had  become  hysterical  under  the  pressure  of  their  certainty. 
Nor  did  her  husband's  evasive  carelessness  allay  her  anxiety; 
she  was  not  consoled  by  his  smiles,  nor  by  the  light  kiss  with 
which  he  advised  her  "  to  sleep  and  forget  her  imaginary 
fears."  This  course  was  not  possible  to  Annette;  she  lay 
awake  considering  and  planning  until  the  dawn.  Then, 
when  she  ought  to  have  been  on  the  alert,  she  fell  into  the 
dead  sleep  of  utter  mental  and  physical  weariness. 

In  this  interval  Achille  arose,  dressed  with  some  care,  and 
calling  Annette's  maid,  left  with  her  his  "  remembrances  for 
madame,  and  the  assurance  that  he  would  be  home  for 
dinner."  Annette  did  not  believe  the  message.  She  asked 
for  the  hour,  and  decided  there  was  yet  a  possibility  of  find 
ing  her  uncle  Bloommaert  at  his  home.  While  she  hastily 

239 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


dressed,  her  carriage  was  prepared,  and  she  reached  the 
Bowling  Green  house  just  as  the  judge  was  descending  the 
steps.  She  arrested  him  midway.  "  Uncle,"  she  sobbed, 
"  I  am  in  trouble  about  Achille.  I  want  you  to  help 
me." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  Achille?  Have  you  been  scold 
ing?  Has  he  run  away  from  you?  " 

"  I  cannot  bear  jokes  this  morning,  uncle.  I  think  Achille 
has  gone  to  fight  a  duel." 

"  Nonsense!" 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure  he  is  going  to  fight  that  low  creature, 
Horace  Gilson.  You  know " 

"  Twofold  nonsense.  He  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
man.  That  is  Leonard  Murray's  business." 

"  But  Leonard  came  to  Achille  on  Sunday  night.  He 
was  full  of  shame  and  anger  about  every  one  passing  him 
without  recognition;  and  I  am  sure  he  must  have  deserved 
the  slight,  or  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Stevens  and  Mr.  Fisher 
would  not  have  done  so — on  a  Sunday,  just  coming  out  of 
church,  too,  when  people  ought  to  feel  friendly." 

"  Come,  come,  Annette,  this  is  all  foolishness,  and  I  am  in 
no  mood  for  it  this  morning.  If  Leonard  has  been  insulted, 
he  knows  how  to  right  himself — and  that,  without  Achille's 
help.  Gilson  is  a  low,  scurrilous  creature,  and  I  hope  Leon 
ard  will  give  him  a  lesson." 

"  Uncle!  Uncle!  You  must  not  go  away  without  help 
ing  me." 

240 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


"  Good  gracious,  Annette !  What  am  I  to  do  ?  What  can 
I  do?  If  Achille  wishes  to  stand  by  Leonard  in  this  matter, 
nothing  I  can  say  will  prevent  it.  And,  by  George,  I  do 
not  intend  to  say  anything!  As  for  Achille  fighting  Gilson, 
that  is  absurd.  Leonard  Murray  is  no  special  favourite  of 
mine,  but  I  am  sure  he  is  a  young  man  who  can  do  his  own 
fighting,  and  who  will  let  no  one  else  do  it  for  him.  Leonard 
will  fight  Gilson,  if  fighting  is  necessary." 

"  But,  uncle,  you  ought  not  to  put  me  off  in  this  way.  I 
shall  go  to  grandmother  and  tell  her." 

"  Well,  Annette,  that  is  a  dreadful  threat — but  you  will 
find  your  grandmother  no  more  sympathetic,  in  this  case, 
than  I  am." 

"So!  Perhaps,  however,  you  will  attend  to  what  aunt 
Carlita  says.  Come  into  the  house  and  let  us  ask  her." 

"  I  will  not  waste  any  more  time,  Annette ;  nor  will  I 
sanction  you  annoying  your  aunt  this  morning.  She  has  had 
one  of  her  worst  headaches  all  night  long,  and  has  just  fallen 
on  sleep.  Do  not  attempt  to  awaken  her.  And  you  must 
say  nothing  unpleasant  to  Sappha.  She  is  worried  already, 
and  she  has  been  up  with  her  mother  all  night.  Do  have 
self-control  enough  to  keep  your  ridiculous  fears  to  yourself 
— or  if  you  cannot,  then  go  to  your  grandmother,  or  bet 
ter  still,  go  home.  Home  is  the  proper  place  for  foolish 
women,  full  of  their  own  fears  and  fancies." 

With  these  words  he  went  down  the  steps,  and  Annette 
watched  him  angrily.  For  a  moment  or  two  she  considered 

241 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


his  advice  to  "  go  to  her  grandmother  "  ;  then  suddenly,  with 
a  passionate  motion  of  her  head,  she  lifted  the  knocker  and 
let  it  fall  several  times  will  unmistakable  decision. 

Sappha,  who  was  busy  in  the  back  parlour,  ran  hastily 
into  the  hall,  and  when  she  saw  Annette  advanced  to  meet 
her  with  a  lifted  finger  and  a  "hush!"  upon  her  lips. 
"  Mother  has  had  such  a  bad  night,"  she  said  softly,  "  and 
now  she  is  sleeping.  Come  in  here,  Annette,  as  quietly  as 
possible.  What  is  the  matter?  I  hope  Jonaca  is  well.  Why, 
Annette,  you  are  crying  \  " 

"  Yes,  and  it  is  you  who  ought  to  be  crying  \  Yet  you 
appear  perfectly  unconcerned." 

"But  why  ought  I  to  be  crying?  You  know  mother  has 
had  these  headaches  all  her  life.  This  attack  is  no  worse 
than  usual." 

"Mother!  Mother/  I  am  not  thinking  of  your  mother! 
I  am  thinking  of  Leonard  Murray." 

"  Is  anything  wrong  with  Leonard  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  what  you  call  wrong.  The  whole  city 
considers  him  shamefully  wrong!  No  one  will  speak  to  him! 
He  is  disgraced  beyond  everything!  I  am  ashamed,  I  am 
burning  with  anger,  to  think  that  he  might  have  been  through 
you  connected  with  my  family  —  I  mean  the  De  Vries  family. 
And  I  am  distracted  about  Achille.  He  came  to  Achille  on 
Sunday  night  -  " 

"Who  came  to  Achille?" 

"  Leonard  Murray,  of  course.  And  he  almost  cried  about 
242 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


the  way  people  had  insulted  him  —  coming  out  of  church,  too, 
And,  I  suppose,  indeed,  I  am  sure,  that  Achille  promised  to 
help  him,  and  stand  by  him,  and  fight  that  man  Gilson  for 
him  -  " 

"  Stop,  Annette  !  You  are  not  speaking  the  truth  now. 
You  are,  at  least,  under  a  false  impression.  If  Gilson  is  to 
be  fought,  Leonard  will  fight  him.  Make  no  mistake  about 
that.  Leonard  is  no  coward;  and  a  man  need  not  be  fool 
hardy  to  prove  himself  brave  —  only  cowards  are  afraid 
to  be  called  cowards.  My  father  has  said  that  very 
often." 

"And  pray  what  comes  of  such  ideas?  When  a  man  is 
insulted  they  lead  to  nothing.  I  have  just  been  talking  to 
my  uncle  Gerardus,  and  he  thinks  precisely  as  I  do.  To  let 
a  man  go  up  and  down  calling  you  a  thief  and  a  coward,  and 
say  nothing,  and  do  nothing,  is  neither  moral  nor  respectable. 
That  is  Leonard  Murray's  position.  And  I  think  it  a 
shame  that  I  have  to  be  kept  on  the  rack  for  two  days  about 
your  lover.  I  never  troubled  you  about  Achille;  and  I  am 
not  well,  and  when  I  am  sick  then  dear  little  Jonaca  is  sick 
—  and  I  have  had  to  get  up  this  morning  hours  before  the 
proper  time  and  leave  my  house,  and  my  child  about  your 
lover,  just  because  he  cannot  manage  his  own  troubles; 
troubles,  also,  that  he  has  made  for  himself." 

"  You  do  not  know  what  you  are  saying,  Annette.  Your 
temper  carries  you  beyond  truth.  Leonard  did  not  make  this 
trouble  -  " 

243 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Oh,  yes,  he  did.  His  pride  and  self-conceit  are  intoler 
able.  His  patronage  of  people  is  offensive.  And  Achille 
and  I  have  often  noticed  how  purse-proud  he  was  -  " 

"  It  is  a  shame  to  say  such  things,  Annette.  You  know 
they  are  slander  —  wicked  slander!  No  man  was  ever  less 
concerned  about  his  wealth,  in  fact,  he  -  " 

"  Oh,  we  can  let  that  subject  drop  —  we  all  know  how  he 
spreads  abroad  his  money.  I  am  speaking  now  of  his  coward 
ice.  Every  one  is  speaking  of  it;  rich  and  poor  alike.  He 
is  a  byword  on  the  Exchange.  He  will  never  have  another 
invitation  to  any  respectable  house.  Even  I  must  shut  my 
doors  against  him  —  and,  to  be  sure,  no  nice  girl  will  ever  be 
seen  with  him  again." 

"  All  that  you  are  saying  is  cruelly  false,  Annette  ;  you  are 
trying  to  pain  and  terrify  me  -  " 

"  What  good  would  that  do  me?  I  am  only  telling  you 
what  you  ought  to  know." 

"  But  why?    Why  are  you  telling  me?  " 

"  Because  I  am  angry  at  you.  Why  did  you  advise  Leon 
ard  to  come  to  Achille  for  help  ?  " 

"I  did  not  advise  him  to  come  to  Achille.  How  could 
Achille  help  Leonard  ?  The  idea  !  " 

"  I  say  plainly  that  Achille  is  now  seeking  that  man  Gil- 
son,  and  if  he  meets  him  before  Leonard  does  —  which  he  is 
sure  to  do  —  he  will  challenge  him  at  once." 

"  How  ridiculous  !  Achille  has  no  quarrel  with  Gilson. 
Why  should  he  challenge  him  ?  " 

244 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


"  Because  of  the  things  he  has  charged  Leonard  with. 
And  Achille's  honour  is  so  sensitive,  and  he  is  so  passionate, 
the  dispute  will  end  in  Achille  making  it  his  own  quarrel. 
Then  he  will  fight  Gilson,  before  Leonard  even  succeeds  in 
tieeting  him." 

"  I  hope  he  will  !  "  said  Sappha  with  affected  satisfaction. 

"  You  wicked  girl  !  To  say  such  a  thing  to  a  wife  and  a 
**iother  !  Oh,  now,  I  think  you  are  none  too  good  for  Leon- 
Ard  Murray!  By  all  means  marry  him  —  only  for  decency's 
sake  take  yourselves  out  of  New  York!  There  are  places 
where  wealth  will  cloak  cowardice.  England,  for  instance  !  " 

"  All  these  stories  you  tell  about  Leonard  are  downright 
lies.  Yes,  I  shall  marry  him,  and  we  shall  stay  here  —  in 
New  York.  Do  you  understand?  And  if  you  were  not 
insane  with  temper  I  would  promise  myself  never  to  speak 
to  you  again,  Annette  St.  Ange.  Cowardice,  indeed!  You, 
yourself,  are  at  this  moment  suffering  from  cowardice.  Your 
fear  of  Achille  being  hurt  has  made  you  suspicious,  unjust, 
slanderous.  And  Leonard  and  I  must  endure  your  shame 
ful  words  —  a  woman  has  no  redress.  I  am  going  to  leave 
you.  You  have  willingly  wounded  and  insulted  me  —  with 
out  any  reason  at  all.  I  hope  you  will  be  sorry  for  it  -  " 

"  I  am  sorry,  Sappha.  Do  not  go  away.  I  am  sorry  for 
you  —  that  is  the  reason  of  my  temper;  and  it  is  Leonard,  not 
you,  I  am  angry  at." 

"  We  will  not  name  Leonard.  If  he  is  all  you  say,  he  is 
not  fit  for  you  to  talk  about." 

245 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"No,  indeed!" 

"  I  think  you  had  better  go  home,  Annette.  You  are 
making  yourself,  and  me,  also,  ill ;  for  nothing." 

"  For  nothing !  That  is  all  the  thanks  I  receive  for  get 
ting  up  so  early  and  coming  to  warn  and  advise  you." 

"  I  wish  you  had  not  come." 

"  I  shall  go  now  and  tell  grandmother.  She  will  perhaps 
be  able  to  make  you  see  things  properly.  I  hope  you  will 
not  make  yourself  sick  about  Leonard " 

"  It  is  not  my  way." 

"  If  a  girl's  lover  turns  out  badly,  she  ought  not  to  cry 
about  him — it  is  neither  moral  nor  respectable.  I  say  this, 
Sappha,  politely  and  kindly." 

"  Thank  you,  politely  and  kindly,  Annette." 

"  I  hope  Leonard  may  come  out  of  this  affair  better  than 
we  think." 

"  Thank  you.  I  hope  Achille  may  come  out  of  this  affair 
better  than  we  think." 

The  clash  of  the  front  door  emphasised  this  provoking  bit 
of  courtesy,  and  Sappha  flew  like  a  bird  to  her  room,  that 
she  might  conceal  the  tumult  of  outraged  feelings  warring 
within  her.  And  then  as  soon  as  she  was  alone  all  her  anger 
fled  from  Annette  to  Leonard.  She  accused  him  with  bitter 
unreason;  for  at  this  hour  she  was  insensible  to  everything 
but  the  painfully  humiliating  results  of  what  she  still  men 
tally  called  "  his  quarrel "  with  Horace  Gilson.  And,  oh, 
how  Annette  had  hurt  her!  For  Annette  had  not  yet  learned 

246 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


how  to  endure;  and  they  who  can  bear  nothing  are  them 
selves  unbearable. 

For  two  hours  she  gave  full  sway  to  her  insurgent  feel 
ings;  but  at  the  last  every  mental  struggle  ended  in  her 
blaming  Leonard.  Leonard,  for  her  sake,  ought  to  have 
avoided  such  a  degrading  quarrel  —  Leonard  ought  to  have 
faced  it  the  first  thing  the  following  morning,  instead  of  that 
he  had  trifled  away  the  whole  day  in  Nassau  Street,  and  the 
next  day  at  Annette's,  and  now  Annette  felt  that  she  had 
the  right  to  call  his  courtesy  cowardice. 

"  Well,  then,  it  looks  like  cowardice  !  "  she  sobbed  passion 
ately,  "  and  then  Saturday  he  told  me  some  story  about  his 
lawyer  detaining  him  —  never  once  did  he  name  Gilson  to 
me.  It  looks  like  -  Oh,  wee!  oh,  wee!  my  heart  will  break 
with  the  shame  of  it!  Every  one  will  pity  me.  Even  if 
some  make  excuses  for  Leonard,  I  shall  know  it  is  only  pity 
for  me  —  only  pity  !  I  cannot  bear  it  !  I  cannot  think  of  it  ! 
Father  and  mother  must  take  me  away  —  no,  no,  I  must  face 
the  shame,  smile  at  it,  what  they  call  '  live  it  down.'  Oh, 
what  shall  I  say  ?  What  shall  I  do  ?  And  mother  is  too  ill 
to  trouble.  And  to  father  I  cannot  complain  of  Leonard. 
Oh,  Leonard  !  Leonard  !  Leonard  !  " 

And  it  was  while  tossed  from  wave  to  wave  on  this  flood 
tide  of  anger  and  sorrow  that  she  was  told  Leonard  was  wait 
ing  to  see  her.  She  rose  up  hastily.  Had  she  taken  a  few 
moments  to  calm  herself  everything  might  have  been  differ 
ent.  But  even  her  opening  >  .  :he  doors  between  herself  and 

247 


her  lover  betrayed  the  whirl  and  tumult  of  the  feelings  that 
distracted  her.  Nor  was  this  mental  storm  soothed  by 
Leonard's  presence.  He  came  eagerly  forward  to  meet  her; 
a  pleasant  smile  on  his  face  and  a  white  rose  in  his  hand. 
She  took  the  flower  from  him,  and  threw  it  down  upon  the 
table;  and  he  regarded  her  with  amazement.  Her  face, 
her  attitude,  the  passion  of  her  movements,  arrested  the  words 
he  was  eager  to  utter;  and  in  that  fateful  pause  Sappha's 
unguarded,  unconsidered  accusations  feM  like  the  voice  of 
doom  upon  his  senses. 

"  You  are  a  byword  among  men !  No  nice  girl  will  be 
seen  with  you!  You  will  never  again  be  asked  to  any 
respectable  house!  Annette  says  so!  She  will  be  even  com 
pelled  to  shut  her  door  against  you !  " 

"  Sappha,  Sappha!    Do  you  know  what  you  are  saying?  " 

"  Only  too  well  I  know  it.  Annette  has  just  been  here. 
She  has  told  me  all.  You  left  her  to  tell  me.  Why  did  you 
not  come  yourself?  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  all  these 
days  I  have  been  in  suspense  and  misery." 

"  Listen  to  me,  Sappha,  I " 

"  It  is  too  late  now.  Annette  has  told  me.  I  have  heard 
it  all — my  heart  is  broken — I  shall  die  of  shame.  Every 
one  will  pity  me.  I  cannot,  I  cannot  bear  it " 

"  Stop  one  moment,  Sappha.  Do  you  believe  Annette  ? 
Do  you  think  she  will  be  forced  to  shut  her  door  against 
me?" 

"  She  says  so." 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


"  Then  Judge  Bloommaert  may  have  the  same  obligation 
—  and  you  also.  If  you  can  believe  this,  you  can  believe 
anything  that  is  said  against  me,  your  promised  husband. 
It  is  I  who  am  heartbroken.  It  is  I  who  must  feel  shame. 
It  is  I  who  must  go  all  my  life  in  the  fiery  shadow  of  wrong 
and  injustice.  Sappha,  you  have  known  me  as  no  other  per 
son  has  known  me,  —  in  my  inmost  soul,  —  and  yet  you  can 
believe  I  deserve  such  treatment  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell?  If  you  had  done  anything  to  right 
yourself  -  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  the  question.  You  should  have  trusted 
me  through  everything,  and  in  spite  of  every  one.  You  have 
failed  me  just  when  I  needed  most  your  love  and  confidence. 
If  Annette  tells  you  I  ought  to  be  shut  out  of  your  heart 
and  house,  you  will  believe  her!  What  is  your  love  worth? 
It  is  only  a  summer  day's  idyll.  The  first  chill  wind  of  dis 
approval  kills  it.  I  will  go  before  I  am  shut  out.  In  future 
days  it  may  be  easier  for  you  to  remember  that  I  closed  the 
door  on  my  own  happiness.  Oh,  Sappha,  Sappha!  lighter 
than  vapour  is  your  love  —  and  I  had  built  my  life  upon  it  !  " 

His  face  expressed  more  indignation  than  distress.  He 
lifted  the  rose  she  had  flung  down  and  looked  at  it  with 
a  moment's  pity  ;  then  he  pushed  it  toward  her. 

"  It  is  my  last  offering,"  he  said.  "  Take  it.  And  as  it 
fades,  forget  me.  I  shall  never  give  you  shame  or  trouble 
again." 

Then  anger  took  entire  possession  of  Sappha;  and  anger 
249 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

9ftO<a^S>ftO<S^S>60<£I^>OQO^-J=J>-pftQ<r^S>OQQ<^I£^0[>0<SJ-S^ 

does  everything  wrong.  She  lifted  the  rose  and  cried  out 
amid  her  passionate  weeping: 

"  I  will  not  wait  for  it  to  fade.  No,  I  will  forget  you 
now!  now!  now!"  and  as  she  uttered  the  words  she  ruth 
lessly  tore  off  the  white  petals,  scattered  them  on  the  floor 
at  his  feet — and  was  gone. 

Her  tears,  her  shivering  words,  the  utter  passion  of  misery 
and  tenderness  that  made  the  action  almost  like  the  slaying 
of  a  living  creature,  so  stupefied  and  fascinated  Leonard 
that  for  a  moment  he  could  neither  move  nor  speak.  When 
he  recovered  himself  he  ran  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and 
called  her.  "Sappha!  Sappha!"  he  cried.  "  Sappha,  come 
back  to  me,  I  have  something  to  tell  you."  But  she  was 
gone.  A  slight  flutter  of  her  white  gown  as  she  turned 
the  last  angle  was  all  he  saw;  and  if  she  heard  his  appeal 
she  did  not  answer  it. 

For  a  few  minutes  he  waited,  but  the  laughter  of  the 
negroes  in  the  kitchen,  coming  faintly  through  the  baize- 
lined  doors,  was  the  only  sound  he  heard.  Then  he  returned 
to  the  parlour  and  carefully  gathered,  one  by  one,  the  torn 
leaves.  The  last  note  Sappha  had  sent  him  was  in  his 
pocket  book.  He  placed  them  between  the  sheets  and,  shut 
ting  them  in  the  book,  put  it  in  his  breast. 

What  was  he  so  still  for?  What  had  he  done?  What 
had  come  to  him?  Blast,  or  blight,  or  fire,  or  fever?  He 
picked  up  the  torn  rose  leaves  as  if  they  were  bits  of  his  heart, 
and  the  door  clashed  behind  him  and  seemed  to  shake  the 

250 


THE    ROSE    OF    RENUNCIATION 


very  foundations  of  his  life.  He  knew  that  he  was  walking, 
but  his  heart  hung  heavy  at  his  feet.  All  he  loved  was  be 
hind  him  —  he  was  drifting,  drifting  into  a  darkness  where 
love  and  joy  would  never  again  find  him.  Oh,  it  is.  only 


" the  Lord  above, 

He  only  knows  the  strength  of  Love; 
He  only  knows,  and  He  only  can, 
The  root  of  Love  that  is  in  a  man." 


CHAPTER 

NINE 


Tlie  Reproof  of  the  Sword 


EONARD'S  suffering  was  very  great,  but 
Sappha's  was  still  greater.  Wounded  love, 
injustice,  and  disappointment  can  inflict 
mental  distress  that  has  no  parallel  in 
physical  pain,  but  with  Sappha's  misery  was 
mingled  the  intolerable  drop  of  remorse  for  her  hasty  passion. 
Now  that  all  was  over,  now  that  Leonard  had  gone  away 
forever,  there  came  to  her  the  clearest  conviction  that  she  had 
done  him  a  great  wrong.  She  remembered  that  she  had  not 
even  given  him  an  opportunity  to  explain  circumstances — she 
had  met  him  with  passionate  reproaches  and  flung  his  love 
gift,  torn  and  mutilated,  at  his  feet.  After  that  shameful, 
piteous  rejection  what  could  Leonard  do  but  go  away?  It 
was  an  act  for  which  there  could  be  no  apology  and  no  for 
giveness.  She  cried  out  with  the  anguish  this  cruel,  hopeless 
reflection  caused  her;  and  had  Leonard  been  really  present 
she  would  have  fallen  at  his  feet  in  an  agony  of  love  and 
repentance. 

Prone  upon  her  bed  she  lay,  torturing  herself  by  a  thou 
sand  self-reproaches,  and  by  a  perpetual  memory  of  that  last 

252 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


look  of  pained  amazement  with  which  her  lover  had  re 
garded  her.  She  could  not  put  it  from  her,  it  seemed  to 
have  exorcised  every  other  memory  of  his  face.  With  heart 
broken  sobs  she  sent  after  him  one  cry,  "  Forgive  me!  Oh, 
Leonard,  forgive  me!"  But  the  void  between  them  swal 
lowed  it  up  in  silence.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done.  The 
long,  long  days  and  years  before  her  held  only  frustrate  long 
ings  and  despair.  This  reflection  came  to  her  as  a  finality, 
and  she  ceased  weeping  and  protesting  and  lay  dumb  and 
passive  like  a  child  smitten  by  a  power  it  can  neither  ap 
pease  nor  comprehend. 

Her  mother  found  her  in  this  mood,  and  when  Sappha 
said,  "  I  cannot  come  to  dinner  to-day,  I  am  in  trouble. 
Annette  told  me  things  about  Leonard,  and  I  have  sent  him 
away  forever  !  "  the  mother  understood  and  was  full  of 
pity. 

"  Do  not  try  to  come  down,  dear,"  she  answered.  "  As 
soon  as  your  father  goes  out,  I  will  return  to  you." 

"Are  you  better,  mother?  Are  you  able  to  attend  to 
father?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  am  well  again.  Ah,  me,  there  is  always  sor 
row  at  somebody's  heart  !  " 

"  It  is  my  own  fault,  mother.  Leonard  is  not  to  blame. 
I  will  tell  you  —  after  a  little  while." 

Then  Mrs.  Bloommaert  went  with  a  heavy  heart  to  serve 
the  dinner;  for  whether  heads  are  aching  or  hearts  break 
ing  dinner  is  a  fact  that  cannot  be  excused.  She  was  full 

253 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


of  anxious  thought  as  she  went  about  the  table,  placing 
sauces,  condiments,  and  wines,  and  arranging  the  small  de 
tails  which  always  pleased  her  husband.  He  had  been  de 
pressed  and  angry  concerning  Leonard  Murray's  conduct 
for  some  days,  and  she  wondered  how  the  news  of  Sappha's 
dismissal  of  the  young  man  would  affect  him. 

Contrary  to  all  expectation  he  entered  the  house  in  high 
spirits.  He  was  delighted  to  find  his  wife  better,  and  able 
to  give  him  her  company  and  sympathy;  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  alone  he  began  to  talk  to  her  about  Leonard  in  a 
manner  full  of  pride  and  satisfaction.  Nor  was  he  much 
dashed  by  the  information  that  there  had  been  a  quarrel  be 
tween  the  lovers,  and  a  final  separation. 

"  Final  separation  !  "  he  repeated,  with  an  incredulous 
1-iugh.  "  Nonsense.  That  is  a  regular  climax  to  a  love 
fever.  They  will  be  more  devoted  than  ever  in  a  week's 
time.  Tell  her  what  I  have  just  told  you,  and  they  will  be 
friends  in  half  an  hour." 

"  I  fear  not.  Leonard  has  shown  wonderful  patience  so 
far,  but  my  father  used  to  say  '  beware  the  anger  of  a  pa 
tient  man  '  ;  for  when  once  his  patience  has  given  way, 
liis  anger  is  not  to  be  pacified." 

"All  foolishness,  Carlita.  Go  and  tell  Sappha  every 
thing.  I  promised  to  meet  St.  Ange  about  three  o'clock; 
you  see  I  have  not  any  time  to  spare  now." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  Annette  said  to  Sappha  —  something 
ill-natured,  no  doubt;  but  I  wonder  St.  Ange  did  not  give 

254 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


her  strict  orders  to  keep  her  tongue  quiet  about  this  busi 
ness." 

"  You  wonder  St.  Ange  did  not  give  Annette  '  strict  or 
ders.'  Well,  Carlita,  I  wonder  at  your  simplicity.  Who 
can  order  a  bad-tempered  woman's  tongue?  Tell  Sappha 
I  have  gone  with  St.  Ange  to  see  Leonard.  Doubtless  I 
shall  bring  him  home  with  me." 

He  went  out  with  this  pleasant  anticipation,  and  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  arranged  a  little  dinner  for  her  daughter,  and 
sent  it  upstairs  to  her.  "  You  must  eat,  Sappha,"  she  said, 
"  you  can't  live  on  your  tears.  And  I  have  good  news  for 
you — very  good  news.  See  now,  how  nice  this  roast  chicken 
looks,  and  the  beans,  and  the  strawberry  tart;  and  I  made 
the  tea  myself ;  yes,  dear,  you  must  have  a  cup  of  tea,  and  you 
must  first  tell  me  all  that  Annette,  the  cruel  ill-natured 
woman,  said  to  you." 

This  confidence  helped  Sappha  wonderfully.  She  could 
rightly  enough  blame  Annette,  and  there  was  relief  in  shift 
ing  so  much  of  the  reproach  from  herself.  And  Mrs.  Bloom 
maert  felt  no  scruple  in  throwing  the  whole  weight  of  the 
unfortunate  affair  on  Annette.  "  It  would  never  have  hap 
pened,  never!  "  she  said,  "  if  Annette  had  been  minding  her 
house  and  her  baby  instead  of  following  Achille  round; 
and  then  because  she  could  not  find  him  she  must  come 
and  vent  her  home-made  wretchedness  on  you.  I  wish  I 
had  heard  her!  She  called  Leonard  a  coward,  did  she?" 

"  She    said    every    respectable   person    thought    him   one, 

255 


iTHE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREENi 


and  she  repeated  many  things  about  him  getting  enormous 
interest  from  the  city — oh,  mother,  I  cannot  go  over  it 
again." 

"  There  is  no  need  to  do  so.  Leonard  Murray  has  turned 
all  such  ideas  topsy-turvy.  Now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  all 
about  it,  and  you  will  see  how  well  he  has  managed  this 
miserable  business.  On  Sunday  he  went  to  see  Achille,  and 
Achille  told  him  he  could  forbear  no  longer,  and  though 
Leonard  thought  it  was  a  kind  of  cowardice  to  fight  a  man 
so  inferior  in  skill  both  with  sword  and  pistol  to  himself, 
Achille  convinced  him  there  was  no  other  way  to  prevent 
Gilson  lying.  So  early  on  Monday  morning  Achille  called 
upon  Gilson.  He  first  presented  to  him  a  paper  acknowl 
edging  all  his  accusations  against  Leonard  to  be  false  and 
malicious,  requiring  him  to  sign  it.  But  Gilson  fell  into  a 
great  passion,  and  said  he  would  fight  St.  Ange  for  daring 
to  offer  him  such  an  insult ;  and  Achille  answered,  '  it 
would  give  him  a  supreme  pleasure  to  allow  him  an  oppor 
tunity  as  soon  as  his  friend,  Mr.  Murray,  had  received  satis 
faction.'  Then  he  gave  him  Leonard's  challenge.  The  fel 
low  threw  it  carelessly  down  on  the  table,  and  said  '  he  was 
going  to  Boston  on  important  affairs,  but  when  he  returned 
he  would  make  immediate  arrangements  to  meet  Mr.  Mur 
ray  and  teach  him  to  mind  his  own  business.'  '  On  the 
contrary,'  said  Achille,  '  you  will  meet  Mr.  Murray  before 
you  go  to  Boston.  You  will  meet  him  to-morrow  morning 
at  half-past  seven  o'clock  in  Hahn's  wood,  Hoboken.  You 

256 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


know  the  place.  Or  if  there  is  any  other  place  you  prefer, 
I  am  here  to  make  arrangements.'  Gilson  said,  '  one 
place  was  as  good  as  another.'  Then  they  agreed  that  the 
weapons  should  be  rapiers,  and  Gilson  laughed  scornfully, 
and  '  hoped  the  clearing  at  Hahn's  wood  was  not  too  large, 
for  he  intended  close  quarters.  Murray,'  he  said,  '  could 
not  have  half  an  acre  to  skip  about  in.'  To  which  fresh 
insult  Achille  answered  that  if  Mr.  Gilson  wished  close 
quarters  he  felt  sure  Mr.  Murray  would  be  delighted  to 
fight  on  a  billiard  table." 

"  I  like  Achille,  mother,  yes  I  do  !  " 

"  Achille  is  a  good  friend  in  need.  He  made  all  other 
arrangements  for  the  duel,  and  Gilson  promised  that  he  and 
his  friend  Myron  Hays  would  be  on  the  ground  at  half-past 
seven  the  following  morning.  He  used  a  deal  of  very  bad 
language  in  making  these  arrangements.  Your  father  said  we 
could  imagine  it  as  bad  as  we  chose,  and  that  then  it  would 
come  far  short  of  the  reality." 

"  So  there  was  a  duel  this  morning  !  Oh,  mother,  if  I 
had  only  known!  " 

"  Do  not  hurry  me,  Sappha.    I  want  to  tell  you  all  just 

• 
as  it  happened.     Leonard  did  not  trust  Gilson's  promise, 

nor  did  Achille.  They  determined  to  watch  him;  and  they 
found  out  two  things:  first,  that  he  intended  leaving  New 
York  for  Boston  soon  after  seven;  second,  that  he  had  or 
dered  breakfast  for  himself  and  Myron  Hays  fifteen  min 
utes  before  seven  at  the  City  Hotel." 

257 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  But,  mother,  Gilson  must  have  known  that  Leonard 
stayed  at  the  City  Hotel  ?  " 

"  Of  course  he  knew ;  but  he  felt  sure  Leonard  would  be 
crossing  the  river  at  that  time.  Then  he  would  have  taken 
his  breakfast,  sending  the  while  repeated  inquiries  as  to 
whether  any  one  had  seen  Leonard  or  St.  Ange,  and  affect 
ing  great  indignation  at  their  non-appearance.  Finally  some 
insolent  message  of  future  defiance  and  punishment  would 
have  been  left  with  the  proprietor  for  Leonard.  Oh,  can  you 
not  see  through  the  foolish,  cowardly  plan?  " 

"  It  was  a  contemptible  scheme,  and  full  of  weak  points, 
mother,"  answered  Sappha. 

"  It  would  have  answered  well  enough ;  it  would,  «at 
least,  have  thrown  doubt  and  contempt  on  both  men.  Fortu 
nately  Leonard  and  St.  Ange  followed  Gilson  so  closely  that 
they  were  at  his  side  ere  he  had  finished  giving  the  order  for 
serving  his  coffee.  'At  present,'  said  St.  Ange  very  politely, 
'  there  is  not  time  for  coffee.  We  will  cross  the  river  at  once, 
sir,'  and  Gilson  answered,  '  I  am  going  to  Boston  on  most 
important  business.  Mr.  Murray  must  have  got  my  letter  ex 
plaining.'  Then  Leonard  said,  '  You  never  wrote  me  any  let 
ter,  sir.  And  you  are  not  going  to  Boston,  you  are  going  to 
Hoboken,  and  that  at  once.'  Gilson  still  insisted  that  he 
would  fight  Leonard  when  he  came  back  from  Boston,  and 
St.  Ange  told  him  he  could  have  that  satisfaction  if  he  wished 
it;  but  first  of  all,  he  must  fulfil  his  present  engagement. 
'  All  is  ready  for  it,  he  continued ;  '  a  boat  waits  for  you  and 

258 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


Mr.  Hays  at  the  foot  of  the  garden,  and  another  boat  for 
Mr.  Murray  and  myself  will  keep  yours  in  sight.'  Then 
the  man  looked  at  his  second,  and  Mr.  Hays  said  it  was 
proper  to  go  at  once,  and  he  was  thus  morally,  or  unmorally, 
forced  into  compliance.  At  the  last  moment  Gilson  '  sup 
posed  arms  and  a  doctor  had  been  remembered,'  and  St. 
Ange  told  him  those  duties  had  been  delegated  to  him  and 
properly  attended  to.  '  The  doctor,'  he  said,  '  was  in  their 
boat,  and  the  swords  also,'  the  latter  having  been  approved 
by  Mr.  Hays  on  the  previous  day,  at  which  time  it  was 
also  agreed  that  Gilson  should  have  his  choice  of  the 
two  weapons.  St.  Ange  told  your  father  there  had  been 
several  irregularities,  but  that  all  had  been  arranged  with 
perfect  fairness  by  himself  and  Mr.  Hays." 

At  this  juncture  Sappha  lost  all  control  of  her  emotions 
and  began  to  weep  and  lament;  and  her  mother  rather 
sharply  continued  :  "  Tears  are  not  needed  at  all,  Sappha. 
Leonard  was  perfectly  calm.  Of  his  own  safety  he  had  not 
a  fear.  He  and  St.  Ange  kept  Gilson's  boat  in  sight  until 
they  landed  ;  then  the  ground  was  marked  off,  and  the  men 
threw  away  their  coats  and  vests  and  received  their  swords 
from  the  seconds.  I  cannot  tell  you  just  what  happened, 
but  your  father  could  make  it  plain  enough  I  dare  say. 
To  me  it  was  only  thrust  and  parry,  touch  and  go,  for  a 
few  minutes,  then  Leonard  made  a  feint  at  Gilson's  breast, 
but  by  a  movement  instantaneous  as  a  thought  nailed  his 
right  foot  to  the  ground  with  his  rapier.  The  man  shrieked, 

259 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  would  have  seized  Leonard's  sword,  but  that  action 
was  instantly  prevented  by  the  seconds.  The  affair  was 
over.  Gilson  was  at  Leonard's  mercy,  and  when  he  with 
drew  his  sword  St.  Ange  said,  '  Doctor,  the  case  is  now 
yours.  And  then  turning  to  Gilson  he  continued,  '  Mr.  Gil- 
son,  if  you  cannot  control  your  tongue  in  the  future,  we  will 
do  this  as  often  as  you  like.'  ' 

"  I  hope  the  man  will  not  die,  mother!  " 

"Oh,  no!  Leonard  intended  only  to  punish  him. 
He  will  have  a  few  weeks'  severe  pain,  and  may  have  to 
use  a  crutch  for  a  longer  time  —  perhaps  he  may  not 
dance  any  more;  but  he  only  received  what  he  richly  de 
served." 

"  But  I  do  not  see,  mother,  how  this  duel  will  put  Leon 
ard  right  in  people's  estimation." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  St.  Ange  took  good  care  to  secure  wit 
nesses  to  Gilson's  cowardly  attempt  to  get  away;  and  the 
men  who  rowed  the  two  boats  were  there,  to  report  for  the 
newspapers.  They  heard  much  conversation  I  have  not  re 
peated.  Your  father  also  thinks  Myron  Hays,  though  he 
would  not  say  much,  was  deceived  and  very  indignant. 
You  may  be  sure  that  St.  Ange  and  Leonard  arranged  for 
a  full  vindication.  Now,  Sappha,  wash  your  face  and  dress 
yourself  prettily.  Father  said  he  would  bring  Leonard  back 
to  tea  with  him." 

"  Leonard  will  not  come  with  father.  He  will  never 
come  again,  I  know  !  I  know  !  " 

260 


HE  AND   ST.  ANGE   KEPT   GILSON's   BOAT   IN   SIGHT 
UNTIL   THEY   LANDED." 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


"  If  he  does  not,  his  behaviour  will  be  cruel  and  dishon 
ourable.  Why  did  he  not  tell  you  about  the  duel  !  " 

"  He  could  not  —  I  did  not  give  him  a  moment's  oppor 
tunity.  It  was  my  fault  —  all  my  fault.  I  was  so  angry  at 
what  Annette  told  me  that  I  met  him  in  a  passion,  and  be 
fore  he  had  time  to  tell  me  why  he  had  stayed  away  and 
what  had  occurred  I  shocked  him  with  Annette's  false 
charges,  one  upon  the  other,  without  any  pause,  until  I 
told  him  that  Annette  was  going  to  shut  her  door  against 
him.  Then  he  asked  me  if  we  also  intended  to  shut  our 
door  against  him,  and  mother,  I  have  no  excuse  —  there  is  no 
excuse  for  me,  none  !  I  ought  to  suffer.  Oh,  how  miserable 
I  am  !  And,  mother,  mother,  I  have  made  my  own  misery." 

"  You  go  too  far,  Sappha.  You  make  too  much  of  a 
few  words.  All  lovers  have  quarrels,  and  in  my  opinion 
Leonard  cannot  come  back  too  soon." 

"  He  will  not  come.  He  was  too  quiet.  He  said  too 
little.  He  will  never  come  back.  Always,  we  have  slighted 
him  a  little." 

"  He  has  been  very  well  received  —  do  not  make  excuses 
for  him  on  that  ground.  I  wish  Annette  would  keep  her 
tongue  out  of  our  affairs.  She  is  nothing  but  a  mischief 
maker." 

"  I  know,  but  Annette  could  not  have  harmed  me  if  I 
had  been  true  to  Leonard.  To  be  ready  to  doubt  him,  only 
on  Annette's  word,  was  a  shameful  wrong,  and  I  deserve 
to  be  forsaken  and  forgotten." 

261 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  It  is  Leonard's  fault  more  than  yours.  He  ought  to 
have  stopped  that  man's  tongue  at  once.  Any  woman  would 
have  become  suspicious  and  irritable.  It  was  a  shame  for 
Leonard  to  put  your  love  for  him  to  such  a  trial.  He  will 
see  that  as  soon  as  he  gets  over  the  little  slight.  Now  dress 
yourself,  dear,  and  come  downstairs.  What  is  the  use  of 
nursing  sorrow  in  a  darkened  room?  Sunshine  makes  grief 
more  bearable.  I  do  believe  that  Leonard  will  return  with 
your  father." 

"  I  will  come  down  —  but  Leonard  will  not  return  with 
father." 

"  You  are  very  provoking,  Sapphira.  And  I  can  tell  you 
one  thing,  they  that  are  determined  to  be  miserable  will 
always  find  the  wherewithal  for  misery.  Try  and  hope  for 
the  best,"  and  she  kissed  her  and  added,  "  Put  on  a  fresh 
white  frock,  you  look  best  in  white." 

So  Sappha  did  as  she  was  counselled,  but  her  bravery  did 
not  help  her  to  bear  her  sorrow  —  a  sorrow  made  worse  by 
its  uncertainty  in  all  respects.  If  Leonard  had  only  granted 
her  a  little  time,  if  he  had  been  patient  enough  to  tell  her 
of  the  morning's  events,  if  he  had  not  given  that  rose  of 
renunciation!  Yes,  that  act  of  his  was  the  real  provocative 
of  her  desertion.  He  had  told  her  to  forget  him.  What 
could  he  expect  but  a  prompt  acceptance  of  his  request? 
It  would  have  been  impossible  at  that  stage  to  have  hesi 
tated.  He  had  broken  their  betrothal,  not  her;  how  then 
could  she  hope  he  would  make  any  effort  to  renew  it? 

262 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


She  did  not  hope  for  it,  though  she  obeyed  her  mother's 
desire,  and  with  an  aching  heart  dressed  herself  in  white  and 
went  downstairs.  About  five  o'clock  she  heard  her  father's 
steps,  and  he  was  not  alone.  But  the  double  footsteps  did 
not  give  her  a  moment's  hope.  She  knew  they  were  not 
Leonard's,  and  in  a  few  moments  she  saw  that  St.  Ange 
was  her  father's  companion.  They  were  talking  in  tones 
of  earnest  gratification,  and  as  soon  as  the  ordinary  greet 
ings  were  over  resumed  their  conversation. 

The  subject  was,  of  course,  the  duel  and  the  sympathetic 
response  it  had  evoked  in  Leonard's  favour.  Gilson's  effort 
to  escape  to  Boston,  his  bullying  language  when  detected, 
the  decided  white  feather  he  had  shown  on  the  field,  his 
cowardice  under  pain  since  he  had  received  his  punishment, 
were  now  the  topics  of  public  conversation  ;  and  the  men  who 
had  been  foremost  in  doubting  Leonard  Murray  were  now 
the  warmest  in  his  praise.  All  these  things  St.  Ange  de 
scribed  in  his  usual  sparkling  detail,  and  the  judge,  Mrs. 
Bloommaert,  and  Sappha  listened  to  him  with  the  keenest 
interest. 

Suddenly  Judge  Bloommaert  said  :  "  I  never  heard  be 
fore  of  a  man  disabling  his  antagonist  just  in  that  way.  I 
wonder  how  Leonard  learned  the  stroke." 

"  One  of  Robespierre's  emigrants  taught  it  to  Leonard. 
He  was  a  noble  of  the  highest  lineage,  but  when  driven  to 
America  he  embraced  the  simple  life  of  the  wilderness  with 
inconceivable  ardour.  Leonard  met  him  in  the  exploring 

263 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


party  which  he  accompanied  to  the  Mississippi,  and  together 
they  went  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans.  Their  tedious 
voyage  was  relieved  with  sword  play,  and  under  this  French 
noble's  tuition  Leonard  became  an  incomparable  fencer. 
With  this  same  stroke  he  disarmed  Senor  Zavala  in  New 
Orleans." 

"  Ah  !    Then  Murray  has  fought  before  ?  " 

"  Yes.  The  duel  between  Senor  Zavala  and  Mr.  Murray 
is  well  remembered  in  New  Orleans." 

"  Suppose,  then,  you  tell  us  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert. 

"  I  was  not  acquainted  with  Leonard  at  the  time,  but  Mr. 
Livingston  told  me  of  the  circumstance.  The  Americans 
in  New  Orleans  are  proud  of  it." 

"  Why  have  you  never  named  it  before,  then  ?  "  asked  the 
judge. 

"  Leonard  desired  me  not  to  speak  of  it  because  he  said 
there  was  a  feeling  against  the  duel  in  New  York,  and  that 
you,  judge,  whose  good  opinion  he  specially  desired,  were 
opposed  to  the  custom.  I  think,  indeed,  that  Leonard's  re 
luctance  to  notice  Gilson's  slanders  arose  from  a  fear  of 
offending  you." 

"  Well,  St.  Ange,  as  a  general  thing  I  do  not  approve 
of  the  duel;  but  there  are  exceptions  to  every  rule,  and  the 
exceptions  must  be  condoned.  They  need  not,  however,  be 
repeated." 

"  We  are  more  anxious  to  hear  about  Leonard's  New 
264 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


Orleans  affair  than  to  discuss  the  right  or  wrong  of  duel 
ling,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  And  St.  Ange  smilingly 
continued  : 

"  The  occasion  for  it  lay  backward  some  years,  even  to 
that  twentieth  of  December,  A.  D.,  1801,  when  the  tri- 
coloured  flag  of  the  French  republic  was  displayed  at  sunrise 
in  New  Orleans  for  the  last  time.  For  at  noon  that  day 
Governor  Claiborne  and  General  Wilkinson,  at  the  head 
of  the  American  forces,  entered  New  Orleans,  and  the 
French  Commissioner  Laussant  gave  up  the  keys  of  the 
City  Hall  to  them.  Amid  tears  and  profound  silence  the 
French  flag  was  hauled  down,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  took 
its  place. 

There  were  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Americans  in 
the  city  at  that  time,  and  they  stood  together  on  the 
corner  of  the  Place  d'Arms  and  cheered  it.  But  no  one  else 
showed  any  approval.  The  French  and  Spanish  inhabitants 
could  not  reconcile  themselves  to  the  change;  prejudices 
amounting  to  superstition  made  them  for  a  long  time  at 
tribute  everything  unpleasant  to  the  American  occupation. 
This  bias  was  carried  so  far  that  when,  on  one  occasion,  a 
public  ball  was  interrupted  by  an  earthquake  the  anger  of 
an  old  Creole  gentleman  was  roused,  and  he  said  passion^ 
ately,  '  It  was  not  in  the  Spanish  or  the  French  times  that 
the  amusements  of  the  ladies  were  interfered  with.' 

"  However,  as  soon  as  the  cession  was  complete,  northern 
immigration  poured  into  New  Orleans,  and  when  the  present 

265 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


war  was  proclaimed  there  was  no  lack  of  enthusiasm  for 
its  prosecution.  Still  some  of  the  old  antagonism  remained, 
and  one  morning  as  Leonard  was  in  the  Place  d'Arms  he 
saw  some  members  of  a  volunteer  regiment  deploy  there. 
A  boyish  American  carried  the  flag  in  front  of  them,  and 
Senor  Zavala  as  he  passed  made  a  very  offensive  and  con 
temptuous  remark.  Leonard  stepped  out  and  asked  if  he 
intended  that  remark  for  the  American  flag.  Zavala  an 
swered,  '  It  is  most  welcome  to  it,  Senor.'  Leonard  chal 
lenged  him  there  and  then,  As  Zavala  was  something  of  a 
bravo,  he  looked  amused,  and,  when  he  saw  that  Leonard 
was  in  earnest,  annoyed.  For  he  did  not  like  to  fight  such  a 
youth;  he  had  the  same  scruple  that  influenced  Leonard  in 
fighting  Gilson;  he  considered  himself  so  superior  in  skill 
to  his  challenger  that  an  acceptance  was  very  like  cruelty, 
if  not  also  cowardice. 

"  But  Leonard  would  not  retreat,  and  Zavala  declined 
to  make  any  apology,  and  the  duel  took  place.  A  great  in 
terest  was  evinced  in  this  affair,  though  duels  were  common 
enough  on  every  subject,  and  Leonard  had  especially  the 
watchful  sympathy  of  every  American  in  the  city.  They 
were  resolved  that  at  least  he  should  have  fair  play,  and  that 
if  he  had  been  wounded  there  were  plenty  of  men  ready  to 
take  up  his  quarrel  with  Zavala.  To  the  amazement  of 
every  one  Zavala  was  disarmed  in  less  than  five  minutes, 
and  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  Gilson.  But  his  behav 
iour  was  very  different.  He  made  no  outcry,  he  knew  the 

266 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


code  too  well  to  touch  his  antagonist's  sword,  and  it  was 
with  a  polite  smile  he  handed  his  rapier  to  Leonard  and 
said,  '  Senor,  my  sword  is  yours.  I  make  my  apology  to 
you  and  to  your  flag.'  " 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  that  duel,"  said  the  judge, 
and  Mrs.  Bloommaert's  face  was  radiant  with  sympathy 
and  approval.  Sappha's  eyes,  heavy  with  unshed  tears,  were 
dropped,  and  she  could  not  speak.  Had  she  tried  her  very 
words  would  have  wept. 

"  Leonard  behaved  splendidly,"  continued  St.  Ange. 
"  With  his  weapon  he  withdrew  all  ill  feeling,  and  during 
Zavala's  convalescence  he  passed  some  time  with  him  every 
day,  and  supplied  him  with  attentions  and  luxuries  Zavala's 
own  means  could  not  have  procured.  The  conclusion  of  this 
story  I  heard  yesterday.  Zavala  is  now  enrolled  for  the  de 
fence  of  the  very  flag  he  insulted.  Mr.  Livingston  had  the 
news  in  a  letter,  and  he  recalled  the  duel  to  my  memory  in 
order  to  emphasise  the  result. 

"  It  is  rather  remarkable,"  said  the  judge.  "  I  never  heard 
of  this  affair  before." 

"  Well,  no  !  "  answered  Achille.  "  It  was  only  known 
by  the  Livingstons,  myself,  and  Leonard;  and  none  of  us 
thought  it  well  to  talk  about  it  here.  New  York  is  not  New 
Orleans,  where  the  duel  is  concerned.  To  have  fought  a  few 
successful  duels  in  New  Orleans  is  a  social  distinction;  in 
New  York  the  result  socially  is  doubtful.  You  have  only  to 
look  at  Mr.  Burr  -  " 

267 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  There  is  a  heavier  charge  against  Mr.  Burr  than  the 
duel  —  his  country  -  " 

"  Pardon  me,  judge,  his  country's  laws  have  declared  him 
innocent;  can  we  go  behind  judge,  jury,  and  the  written 
law?" 

At  this  question  Mrs.  Bloommaert  rose  from  the  table, 
and  Sappha  quietly  left  the  room,  and  did  not  return  to  it. 
Every  word  uttered  by  Achille  had  intensified  her  grief 
and  made  more  bitter  her  repentance.  Never  before  had 
she  understood  her  lover  or  rightly  valued  his  affection. 
Alas,  alas,  that  sorrow  should  be  the  clearest  of  all  revela 
tions!  Love  too  often  bandages  the  eyes  of  the  soul,  but 
sorrow  rends  away  all  obstructions  to  vision.  At  that  hour 
Sappha  saw  Leonard  as  she  had  never  before  seen  him  —  his 
unselfishness,  his  modesty,  his  patience,  the  truth  and  tender 
ness  of  his  affection,  his  beauty  and  graciousness,  the  living 
joy  that  his  companionship  had  been  to  her.  Oh,  there  was 
no  end  to  such  recollections!  and  her  soul  ached  in  all  its 
sertses,  for  by  her  own  act  she  had  cast  ashes  on  every  one 
of  the  sweet  memories  between  them. 

It  was,  however,  well  for  her  that  she  could  not  indulge 
too  much  this  rapturous  pain  of  memory,  for  it  unfitted  her 
for  the  world  she  had  to  live  in  ;  a  world  empty  to  her,  but 
thrilling  to  the  highest  passions  all  around  her.  For  none 
could  be  indifferent  to  the  fact  that  peace  in  Europe  meant 
a  far  more  active  war  against  America.  Hitherto,  Eng 
land's  hands  had  been  tied  by  her  conflict  with  Napoleon 

268 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


and  all  the  nations  allied  with  him;  now  she  was  at  liberty 
to  turn  her  armaments  against  America.  Yet,  though  the 
people  of  New  York  were  alive  to  their  danger,  and  not 
careless  in  preparing  to  meet  it,  they  had  never  been  so  re 
markable  for  their  entertainments  and  pleasure  taking.  All 
the  newspapers  commented  on  the  fact,  pointing  out  the  num 
ber  of  places  of  amusement  open  every  night,  and  the  con 
stant  steamboat  excursions  every  day. 

From  all  these  sources  of  pleasure  Sapphira  Bloommaert 
disappeared.  It  was  said  she  was  in  ill  health,  but  as  every 
one  knew  of  her  engagement  to  Leonard  Murray  her  seclu 
sion  was  generally  attributed  to  his  absence.  For  Sappha's 
premonition  had  been  correct;  Leonard  did  not  return  to 
her.  She  watched  despairingly  xor  several  days,  and  then 
heard  that  he  had  left  the  city.  It  was  the  judge's  painful 
duty  to  give  this  information  to  his  child,  and  though  he 
named  the  circumstance,  as  it  were,  casually,  he  saw  and 
felt  the  suffering  his  words  caused.  Sappha  did  not  speak, 
but  Mrs.  Bloommaert  said  writh  an  angry  amazement: 

"  Gone!    Where,  then,  has  he  gone  to,  Gerardus?  " 

"  I  know  not.  No  one  knows,  unless  it  be  lawyer  Gra- 
hame,  or  Achille.  Grahame  will  never  say  a  word,  nor 
Achille,  until  he  gets  warrant  for  it." 

"  But  there  must  be  some  opinion,"  continued  Mrs. 
Bloommaert.  "  Men  cannot  disappear  without  leaving  at 
least  an  opinion." 

"Well   then,  there  are  several  opinions.     Some  think  he 
269 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


has  gone  to  the  Niagara  frontier,  others  to  Washington,  and 
not  a  few  are  sure  he  is  on  his  way  to  New  Orleans.  I  my 
self  think  New  Orleans  very  likely;  he  has  interests  and 
friends  there." 

And  Sappha  listened  and  ate  her  bread  to  this  sorrowful 
news.  Only  her  colourless  face  revealed  her  suffering  at 
that  moment  ;  but  it  showed  itself  in  various  ways  after  this 
certainty  had  been  accepted.  One  of  the  most  pronounced 
forms  it  took  was  a  feeling  of  intense  dislike  and  anger 
towards  Annette.  She  would  not  go  to  Annette's  house, 
nor  would  she  see  her  if  she  called  at  the  Bowling  Green 
house.  Her  reasons  were  sufficient  to  herself,  and  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  thought  her  daughter  justified  in  her  conduct. 
Not  yet  could  she  ask  Sappha  to  forgive;  not  while  her  eyes 
held  that  look  of  pain  and  despair,  and  her  whole  manner 
that  of  one  standing  smitten  and  dismayed  before  a  barrier 
she  could  not  cross. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  the  unhappy  Sappha  passed  her  days 
"  going  quietly,"  almost  hopelessly,  for  there  was  in  her 
grief  that  element  of  tragic  fatality,  that  sense  of  Fate  shap 
ing  life  by  the  most  trivial  things,  that  renders  men  and 
women  despairing.  Never  before  had  she  given  sway  to  a 
temper  so  unreasonable,  so  impetuous,  so  passionately  hasty. 
And  surely  not  without  the  co-operation  of  the  stars  had 
Annette  called  just  at  that  early  hour  in  the  morning  — 
Annette,  jealous,  miserable,  ill-tempered,  envious,  full  of 
suspicions,  and  delighting  in  making  misery  for  others  as 

270 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 

MQ<IZg^Q9<£^^Q3<£^!'!JflOQ*;^^00Q<E^p^(lQQ<^*q^flQ(l<gg~^afl$0«^ 

well  as  herself.  Then,  unfortunately,  Mrs.  Bloommaert  was 
ill ;  and  Annette,  unrestrained  by  her  presence,  while  Sappha's 
sympathies  had  been  called  on  all  night  long  and  her  tem 
per  unconsciously  frayed  and  irritated  by  her  inability  to 
prevent  her  mother's  suffering.  Oh,  every  trivial  thing  had 
been  against  her,  even  to  the  small  event  of  her  going  to 
the  back  parlour  after  breakfast!  For  had  she  remained,  as 
was  her  usual  custom,  in  front  of  the  house,  she  would  have 
seen  Annette's  interview  with  her  father,  and  been  prepared 
for  whatever  she  might  say. 

All  these  considerations  gave  a  sort  of  fatality  to  her  quar 
rel  with  Leonard,  but  they  did  not  induce  any  kinder  feel 
ing  towards  Annette.  She  regarded  her,  if  not  as  the  author, 
at  least  as  the  tool  and  messenger,  of  evil;  and  Annette  was 
quickly  made  to  feel  her  position.  Of  course  she  was  an 
gered  by  it.  And  Annette  was  easily  made  angry  at  this 
time,  for  Achille  had  never  been  so  provoking  and  unman 
ageable.  In  spite  of  her  complaints,  he  had  lately  spent 
all  his  days  with  De  Singeron,  who  was  now  on  the  point 
of  sailing  for  France;  and  the  episode  of  Leonard's  duel 
had  been  specially  aggravating,  because  she  had  not  been 
taken  into  confidence  concerning  it.  And  with  that  singu 
lar  obtuseness  common  to  selfish  people,  she  considered  Mrs. 
Bloommaert's  coolness  and  Sappha's  constant  refusals  to 
see  her  as  a  quite  uncalled-for  show  of  offence.  She  told  her 
self  she  had  only  repeated  what  every  one  was  saying,  and 
that  if  Sappha  had  any  sense  of  what  was  proper  and  re- 

271 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


spectable  she  would  have  been  grateful  for  her  candour. 
"  People  are  always  asking  to  be  told  the  truth,"  she  com 
plained,  "  and  then  when  you  put  yourself  out  of  the  way 
to  tell  it,  they  are  sure  to  be  angry  at  you." 

When  three  weeks  had  passed  in  this  uncomfortable  man 
ner,  Annette  began  seriously  to  miss  her  accustomed  sources 
of  that  familiar  friendship  which  admits  of  confidence  and 
some  showing  of  individuality.  She  awoke  one  morning 
with  a  sense  of  isolation  and  of  not  being  properly  loved 
and  cared  for  ;  that  was  too  intolerable  to  be  endured  longer, 
and  taking  little  Jonaca  with  her  as  a  kind  of  peacemaker, 
she  called  on  her  aunt  and  Sappha.  As  the  carriage  drew  up 
at  the  Bloommaert  house  she  saw  Sappha  rise,  and  when  she 
entered  the  parlour  only  Mrs.  Bloommaert  was  present. 

"  Good-morning,  aunt  Carlita  !  I  have  brought  Jonaca 
to  see  you." 

Mrs.  Bloommaert  kissed  the  babe,  and  said  she  "  looked 
well,"  and  then  resumed  her  sewing. 

"  Where  is  Sappha,  aunt  ?  " 

"  She  is  in  her  room.  She  is  not  well,  and  I  cannot  dis 
turb  her." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  aunt,  I  saw  her  as  I  passed  the  window. 
She  need  not  run  away  from  me." 

"  Has  Sappha  run  away  from  you?  Why  has  she  done 
that?" 

"  I  suppose  because  I  told  her  some  things  about  Leonard 
Murray.  It  was  right  for  her  to  know  them  ;  but  I  have  no 

2.72. 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 

doubt,  now  that  Leonard  has  run  away,  she  blames  me  for 
all  his  faults." 

"  Leonard  has  not  run  away,  and  it  is  very  wrong  and 
very  spiteful  in  you  to  make  such  remarks." 

"  Nobody  knows  where  he  is,  and  he  has  left  New  York. 
What  do  you  call  that,  aunt?  " 

"  I  call  it  minding  his  own  affairs,  and  as  for  saying  no 
one  knows  where  he  is,  that  is  a  lie.  Because  he  did  not  tell 
Annette  St.  Ange  where  he  was  going,  is  that  proof  that  he 
has  told  no  one?  Indeed,  Annette,  if  you  can  believe  it, 
there  are  a  few  people  of  consequence  in  New  York  beside 
yourself — and  Mr.  St.  Ange." 

"  Well,  then,  you  need  not  be  angry,  aunt.  And  it  is  not 
kind  nor  yet  religious  to  call  what  I  say  *  a  lie.'  No  one 
ever  used  such  a  word  to  me  before." 

"  You  forget.  Often  I  have  heard  your  grandmother  say 
the  same  thing." 

"  She  was  more  polite  than  to  say  '  a  lie '  ;  she  might 
doubt  what  I  told  her,  though  always  afterwards  she  found 
out  I  was  right." 

"  Indeed,  Annette,  you  must  excuse  me  from  discussing 
your  perfections  this  morning.  I  am  busy.  Sappha  is  sick." 

"  I  am  going  upstairs  to  see  her,  aunt." 

"  You  are  not,  Annette.  You  have  hurt  her  sufficiently. 
I  will  not  allow  you  to  go  and  tell  her  that  Leonard  has 
'  run  away,'  for  instance.  And  I  dare  say  you  have  plenty 
of  such  sharp  speeches  ready." 

273 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  I  have  not — I  have  only " 

"  If  they  are  not  ready,  'tis  no  matter.  They  spring  up  to 
your  thoughts.  I  ask  you  to  excuse  me  this  morning,  for  I 
have  many  things  to  attend  to." 

"  Very  well.  You  have  hardly  noticed  little  Jonaca,  and 
you  have  really  told  me  to  go  away.  I  think  you  have  behaved 
in  a  very  rude  and  unkind  manner.  You  can  say  to  Sappha 
I  am  sorry  for  her.  If  she  will  remember  I  told  her  often 
that  Leonard  Murray  was  not  at  all  sincere.  I  don't  think 
he  ever  loved  Sappha  well  enough  to  wish  to  marry  her." 

"  Good-morning,  Annette !  "  And  with  these  words  An 
nette  found  herself  alone.  She  immediately  drove  to  her 
grandmother's.  She  felt  sure  of  appreciation  there.  And 
madame  was  delighted  to  see  her  and  the  child.  She  took 
the  little  one  in  her  arms  and  held  it  to  her  breast  with  a 
soft  cradling  motion  that  soon  put  it  to  sleep,  and  then  she 
laid  it  tenderly  down  among  the  pillows  on  the  sofa. 

"  So  sweet,  so  pretty  is  she !  "  sighed  madame.  "  I  wonder 
if  it  is  possible  that  I  was  ever  like  to  her!  " 

"  Once  I  too  was  so  sweet!  so  pretty!  so  loved  and  happy! 
but  now — now " 

"  Well  then,  now,  you  are  also  sweet  and  pretty  and 
loved  and  happy." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  not,  grandmother.  Every  one  is  cross 
with  me,  every  one  seems  to  hate  me — except  you." 

"  Hush!  hush!  What  you  are  saying  is  not  true.  It  is 
unlucky  to  put  into  words  such  thoughts." 

274 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


"  I  have  just  been  at  aunt  Carlita's,  and  she  hardly  no 
ticed  Jonaca,  and  told  me  she  was  busy,  and  I  must  excuse 
her." 

"  Where  was  Sappha?  " 

"  Aunt  says  she  is  sick.    She  would  not  let  me  see  her." 

"  Well,  then,  Sappha  looks  ill  —  I  have  noticed  it." 

"  She  is  fretting  about  Leonard.  You  know  he  was  really 
made  to  fight  that  duel.  I  think  Achille  made  him  fight  it, 
and  now  he  has  run  away  from  New  York.  I  suppose  he 
did  not  like  to  meet  his  acquaintances." 

At  this  point  Annette  suddenly  stopped  speaking,  being 
admonished  thereto  by  her  grandmother's  rising  anger.  The 
old  lady  was  regarding  her  with  an  expression  Annette  sel 
dom  saw  on  her  face,  but  which  was  one  she  did  not  care 
to  neglect. 

"  Have  you  said  all  the  wickedness  in  your  heart,  An 
nette?"  she  asked  sternly.  "You  know  that  false,  false, 
false!  are  all  your  words.  The  truth  I  had  from  Achille  — 
the  whole  truth  —  and  Leonard  has  not  run  away;  why  then 
should  he  run  away?  Your  uncle  Gerardus  tells  me  that 
very  wisely  and  very  honourably  he  behaved.  Also,  I  heard 
from  him  about  the  affair  in  New  Orleans.  That,  then, 
was  a  duel  to  be  proud  of." 

"  In  New  Orleans?  What  affair  in  New  Orleans,  grand 
mother?  I  never  heard  of  that." 

"  Achille  can  tell  you.    Ask  him." 

"  He  has  not  told  me,  and  he  knows.     You  see  then, 

275 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


how  much  he  trusts  me,  grandmother.  I  will  not  ask  him. 
You  tell  me,  grandmother." 

"  No,  I  will  not  tell  you  what  he  has  kept  from  you. 
Good  reasons  he  may  have,  of  which  I  know  nothing." 

<(5o/  I  begin  to  find  out  things!  Very  good!  I  shall 
make  Achille  tell  me." 

"  Can  you  make  Achille  speak  if  he  wishes  not  to  speak  ? 
Try  it  once,  and  you  will  be  sorry.  Annette,  Annette,  I 
fear  me  for  your  future,  if  so  unreasonable  you  are!  " 

"  Unreasonable  !  Grandmother  !  I  assure  you  I  have 
many  good  reasons  for  all  I  do.  Very  unhappy  I  have  been 
lately!  Oh,  I  wish  you  would  pity  me  a  little!  " 

"  Surely  Annette  St.  Ange  needs  not  pity.  Come,  now, 
tell  me  all  your  troubles,  —  very  small  are  they,  —  and  in  tell 
ing  they  will  go  away.  Achille  loves  you  —  is  kind  to  you; 
Jonaca  is  well,  you  are  well  —  what  then  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  If  Achille  loves  me,  he  loves  far  better  that  pastry  cook." 

"  There  it  is  —  '  that  pastry  cook.'  You  have  no  good  right 
to  use  those  words,  and  well  you  know  it.  The  pastry  cook 
De  Singeron  is  now  Count  de  Singeron,  and  goes  home  to 
take  again  his  place  in  a  court  regiment.  But  so!  even  if 
he  were  yet  a  pastry  cook,  he  is  the  friend  of  Achille;  he  is 
loved  by  Achille;  by  you  also  he  ought  to  be  loved  for 
Achille's  sake." 

"  You  always  take  Achille's  part." 

"  When  Achille  is  right  and  you  are  wrong." 

"  Thank  goodness,  I  have  done  with  the  Count  de  Singe- 

276 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


ron!  He  left  New  York  yesterday,  and  Achille  sat  up  all 
night  and  cried  about  it." 

"  Have  you  quarrelled  —  you  and  Achille?  " 

"  No  one  can  quarrel  with  Achille.  If  I  get  angry  he 
says  only,  '  Madame  is  not  well,'  or  '  Madame  needs  a  little 
rest,'  and  then  bows  and  leaves  me  —  perhaps  he  kisses  my 
hand,  and  then  I  feel  as  if  I  should  like  to  -  Oh,  grand 
mother,  it  is  terrible!  If  he  would  only  get  angry!  " 

"  My  dear  one,  you  know  not  the  anger  of  such  men  as 
Achille.  That  would  be  terrible  indeed!  I  warn  you  of  it. 
To  rude  words  or  cross  words  he  will  never  condescend; 
but  —  but  —  the  thing  he  will  do,  if  you  love  him,  your  heart  it 
will  break!" 

"  He  does  not  talk  to  me  as  he  should.  Here  is  this  New 
Orleans  affair!  I  am  not  told  of  it,  and  Leonard's  duel 
with  Mr.  Gilson  I  knew  nothing  of  till  it  was  over  —  and 
so  it  was  really  Achille  who  is  to  blame  for  the  trouble  with 
Sappha." 

"Oh!  Oh!  The  trouble  with  Sappha!  What  did  you 
do  to  Sappha,  Annette  ?  " 

"  Nothing  much  —  it  is  not  worth  telling  you,  grand 
mother." 

"  The  judge  of  that  I  will  be  myself." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  tell  you,  grandmother.    It  is  nothing." 

"Very  good!  I  will  ask  Sappha.  The  truth  she  will 
tell  me,  I  know." 

"  I  do  not  like  that  Sappha  should  complain  of  me  to  you, 

277 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


grandmother.  I  will  tell  you  myself.  It  was  the  dreadful 
morning  of  the  duel.  When  I  awoke  I  found  Achille  had 
gone,  and  I  was  afraid  he  would  be  hurt,  and  very  angry 
indeed  that  he  should  mix  himself  up  in  Leonard  Murray's 
disgraceful  quarrel.  I  thought  I  ought  to  have  been  con 
sidered.  Just  think,  grandmother,  how  disagreeable  it  was 
likely  to  be  for  me  —  every  one  of  the  De  Vries  coming  to 
talk  it  over,  and  all  the  Cruger  women,  and  Fanny  Cur- 
tenius,  and  the  Sebrings,  Fishers,  Ogdens,  and  all  the  rest 
of  them.  I  felt  as  if  I  could  not  bear  the  shame,  and  then 
never  to  have  been  consulted  about  such  an  affair!  It  was 
too  bad." 

"  That  was  to  spare  you  anxiety.  Achille  was  thought 
ful  for  you." 

"  No,  he  was  thoughtful  for  himself.  He  knew  I  should 
not  permit  him  to  have  anything  to  do  in  such  a  quarrel,  and 
he  really  ran  away  from  me." 

"  I  advise  you,  say  nothing  like  that  to  Achille." 
"  Well,  then,  I  was  angry,  very  angry,  and  I  thought  I 
would  get  uncle  Gerardus  to  interfere  —  or  you,  grand 
mother.  And  uncle  was  unkind,  and  told  me  to  go  home 
and  not  to  disturb  aunt  Carlita,  who  had,  of  course,  one 
of  her  bad  headaches." 

"  Annette  !    You  should  not  say  such  a  thing." 
"  Well,  it  is  the  truth.    Aunt  has  a  headache  whenever  it 
is  inconvenient  for  her  to  have  one  ;  and  uncle  said  Sappha 
had  been  up  all  night  with  her,  and  I  was  ordered  not  to 

278 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


worry  Sappha  or  say  anything  unpleasant  to  her.  I  felt  then 
very,  very  angry,  and  I  went  into  the  house  and  when  I  saw 
Sappha  with  her  white  face  and  injured  manner  I  could 
not  be  quiet.  I  told  her  all  that  I  had  been  told  about 
Leonard,  and  she  was  what  I  call  insolent  to  me,  and  she 
will  not  speak  to  me  now;  she  goes  away  if  I  call  there, 
and  aunt  Carlita  is  almost  as  rude.  This  morning  she 
hardly  noticed  poor  little  innocent  Jonaca,  and  she  asked  me 
to  excuse  her.  Sappha  went  to  her  room  as  soon  as  she  saw 
me  coming." 

"  Now,  then,  Annette,  a  family  quarrel  I  will  not  have. 
In  my  family  we  have  all  had  to  bear  and  forbear,  and  you 
must  make  up  friends  with  Sappha.  What,  in  short,  did  you 
say  that  so  offended  your  cousin?  Tell  me  the  worst." 

"  Well,  to  be  sure,  I  said  people  called  Leonard  a  cow 
ard  and  usurer,  and  that  no  respectable  person  would  speak 
to  him,  and  no  good  girl  could  be  seen  with  him,  and  that 
I,  like  the  others,  would  have  to  shut  my  door  against  him." 

"  Thou  cruel  one  !  Tell  me  no  more  —  and  all  these  things 
thou  knew  to  be  lies." 

"  How  could  I  know  ?    Achille  told  me  nothing." 

"Who  did  tell  thee?" 

"  Alida  de  Vries,  and  Fanny  Curtenius,  and  Emma 
Ogden,  and  many  others." 

"  And  Leonard  himself  ate  with  thee  on  the  Sunday 
previous  to  the  duel,  and  what  he  told  Achille  thou  heard. 
If  it  seemed  true  and  good  to  Achille,  could  thou  not  also 

279 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


have  believed?  I  am  ashamed  of  thee!  Thou  hast  not  one 
decent  excuse.  All  thou  said  to  Sappha,  thou  said,  knowing 
in  thy  cruel  heart  it  was  lies." 

"  Grandmother,  it  is  too  bad  to  put  all  the  blame  on  me. 
And  I  will  not  now  be  scolded  as  if  I  was  a  child." 

"  Then  why  did  thou  come  here,  deceitful  one  ?  Did 
thou  think  I  would  bless  thee  for  thy  shameless  cruelty  ?  Go 
to  thy  own  home,  then." 

"  Dear  grandmother  —  you  will  make  me  ill.  I  cannot 
bear  you  to  be  angry." 

"  Well,  then,  go  tell  thy  cousin  thou  art  sorry." 

"  Yes,  I  will,  if  I  can  see  her.  I  will  do  it  for  your  sake, 
grandmother.  I  will  do  anything,  if  you  will  forgive  me. 
I  was  so  miserable  that  morning  —  if  you  would  tell  Sappha 
I  am  sorry,  then  perhaps  she  will  listen  to  me." 

"  I  will  see  to  that.  I  want  not  to  have  the  whole  city 
talking  of  the  quarrel  in  the  Bloommaert  family.  Our 
troubles  are  our  own,  and  our  own  are  our  quarrels.  To 
morrow  I  will  talk  to  Sappha;  and  the  next  day  thou  must 
make  all  right  that  is  wrong.  See  thou  do  it." 

With  this  understanding  Annette  went  home,  and  on 
the  day  appointed  she  visited  Sappha.  In  the  interval 
madame  had  also  visited  Sappha,  and  with  the  help  of  her 
son  and  daughter-in-law  arranged  a  kind  of  truce  between 
Annette  and  the  cousin  she  had  injured  so  seriously.  But 
now,  if  never  before,  all  three  learned  the  strength  of  that 
unbendable  will  which  madame  had  pointed  out  as  existing 

280 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 

ICO  <±3>0»  <^=»  M  <^^«M<^=»«CO<2==>OOfl<S3»OCO<SS>«(K>«^3»OCO«^s>OCO<£^=»0»«S2=>()»<^=>«CO 

in  Sappha's  nature,  when  as  yet  no  one  had  ever  seen  any 
evidence  of  it.  Sappha  agreed,  for  the  sake  of  preventing 
gossip  about  the  Bloommaerts,  to  speak  politely  to  Annette 
whenever  they  met;  and  also  not  pointedly  to  avoid  their 
meeting  by  disappearing  whenever  Annette  appeared.  Be 
yond  this  concession  she  would  not  move ;  and  when  madame 
proposed  a  family  dinner  at  Annette's  house,  Sappha  said 
with  a  positiveness  even  her  father  respected: 

"  I  will  not  enter  Annette's  house." 

"  That  is  a  word  that  cannot  stand,  Sappha,"  answered 
madame,  with  an  almost  equal  positiveness. 

"  It  will  stand,  grandmother,"  Sappha  replied,  "  until  I 
enter  it  with  Leonard  Murray.  Annette  threatened  to  shut 
her  door  against  Leonard.  In  so  doing,  she  shut  it  against 
me.  If  Leonard  should  ever  return,  if  he  should  ever  for 
give  me — he  may  then  forgive  the  woman  who  has  caused 
us  both  so  much  suffering.  If  these  unlikely  things  happen, 
we  may  go  together  to  Annette's.  I  will  never  go  without 
him.  Never!  "  And  there  was  such  calm  invincible  deter 
mination  in  every  word  she  uttered  that  even  madame  felt  it 
useless  to  try  either  reasoning  or  authority.  Indeed,  Sappha 
won  in  this  plain  statement  of  her  position  the  perfect  sym 
pathy  of  her  father,  and  he  said : 

"  I  think  Sappha  is  quite  right.  The  stand  she  has  taken 
is  unassailable.  We  must  make  the  best  of  what  she  con 
cedes.  If  Sappha  still  regards  Leonard  as  her  future  hus 
band,  she  can  do  no  less." 

281 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  But,  my  son 


"  Yes,  my  mother,  I  know  what  you  would  say,  but  in  this 
case  my  daughter  is  right.  I  shall  stand  by  my  daughter." 

Then  Sappha  went  to  her  father,  and  he  put  his  arm 
around  her  and  kissed  her,  and  told  her,  "  he  was  sure 
she  would  do  the  very  best  she  could,  and  so  he  trusted 
her." 

In  accordance,  therefore,  with  the  promise  made,  and  the 
obligation  implied  by  her  father's  confidence,  Sappha  re 
mained  in  the  parlour  when  Annette  called  the  next  day. 
She  came  in  her  most  expansive  and  effusive  mood;  kissed 
her  aunt,  and  then  in  a  kind  of  mock  contrition  asked  Sappha 
if  she  might  be  permitted  to  kiss  her  also  ? 

"  I  do  not  deserve  a  kiss,  Sappha,  I  know  I  do  not;  but 
I  am  a  little  sinner  to  every  one,  and  there  is  nothing  I  can 
do  but  say  '  Annette  is  sorry.'  And  really  I  am  sorry.  If 
there  is  anything  I  can  do,  to  undo  my  foolishness  -  " 

"  There  is  nothing,  Annette." 

"  It  is  too  bad.  I  never  dreamed  of  Leonard  taking 
offence  at  you;  every  one  was  saying  unkind  things,  and  I 
thought  you  ought  to  know.  I  was  really  very  miserable 
that  morning.  I  hardly  knew  what  I  was  saying.  But 
the  idea  of  Leonard  going  away  from  all  his  friends  —  and 
you!  —  that  never  occurred  to  me." 

"  We  will  not  speak  of  Mr.  Murray.  There  are  other 
things  to  talk  of.'* 

"  Indeed  yes.  Have  you  heard  that  Mary  Sebring  is 
282 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


going  to  Washington?     Many  people  say,  because  Captain 
Ellis  is  there." 

"  How  is  Jonaca?    Why  did  you  not  bring  her?  " 
"  I  left  her  with  grandmother.     She  is  well  enough." 
This  strained  social  intercourse  was  soon  invaded  by  news 
of   menacing  national   importance.     The   British   fleet  was 
being   constantly  increased,   the   blockade   very   strictly   en 
forced,  and  the  real  conflict  felt  to  be  near  at  hand.     The 
entire  populace  was  now  divided  into  two  great  parties;  one 
was  for  war,  the  other  for  peace  ;  and  the  fear  of  disunion  of 
the  States  hung  heavy  over  all. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July  the  President  had  made  a  call  for 
93,500  militia;  and  before  the  middle  of  the  month  alarm 
for  the  safety  of  New  York  was  so  great  that  the  men  ex 
empt  from  military  duty  formed  themselves  into  companies 
to  aid  in  its  defence.  On  the  third  of  August  Mayor  Clin 
ton,  in  an  address  to  the  people,  said  : 

"  This  city  is  in  danger  !  We  are  threatened  with  in 
vasion.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  good  citizens  to  prepare  for  the 
crisis.  Let  there  be  but  one  voice  among  us.  Let  every 
arm  be  raised  to  defend  our  country;  our  country  demands 
our  aid.  She  expects  that  every  free  man  will  be  found  at 
his  post  in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  that  every  free  citizen  of 
New  York  will  do  his  duty." 

This  appeal  was  answered  with  a  prompt  and  stirring 
enthusiasm.  Volunteer  associations  pressed  forward  with 
out  regard  to  party  or  situation  in  life.  The  ground  of 

283 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


self-defence  was  a  common  ground,  and  rich  and  poor  worked 
together  on  the  same  works,  intermingling  their  labours  with 
patriotic  emulation.  The  Bowling  Green  and  Brooklyn 
Heights  were  like  military  camps;  indeed,  the  whole  city 
was  one  great  company  enrolled  to  save  New  York,  or  perish 
with  it.  On  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August  the  Evening 
Post  announced  the  taking  of  Washington  and  the  flight  of 
the  President,  and  the  wildest  excitement  prevailed;  and  on 
the  following  morning,  the  press  unanimously  called: 

TO  ARMS!  CITIZENS,  TO  ARMS! 

YOUR  CAPITAL    IS    TAKEN  !    PREPARE    TO    DEFEND    OUR    CITY    TO    THE 

LAST  EXTREMITY!    THIS  is  NO  TIME  TO  TALK!    WE  MUST 

ACT   AND   ACT  WITH   VIGOUR,    OR   WE   ARE   LOST! 

In  the  meantime  the  government  had  revised  its  instruc 
tions  to  the  envoys  for  peace.  The  rights  stipulated  for  in 
1813  and  1814  they  were  told  to  abandon;  and  "if  necessary 
waive  every  point  for  which  the  war  was  commenced." 
Nothing  could  more  urgently  describe  the  urgent  necessity 
of  the  country,  which,  indeed,  was  financially  and  commer 
cially  on  the  brink  of  ruin.  Her  harbours  were  blockaded ; 
communications  coastwise  between  all  ports  cut  off;  ships 
rotting  in  every  creek  and  cove  where  they  could  find  secur 
ity,  and  the  immense  annual  products  of  the  country  mould 
ering  in  warehouses.  The  sources  of  profitable  labour  were 
dried  up,  and  the  currency  considered  as  irredeemable  paper. 
Nor  were  these  things  the  worst  features  of  the  situation.  A 
still  more  dangerous  symptom  of  the  national  emergency 

284 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


was  the  hostility  of  certain  portions  of  the  Union.  Seces 
sion  in  some  States  was  a  proposition  not  unlikely  to  become 
a  fact;  while  the  credit  of  the  government  was  exhausted, 
and  the  war  apparently  as  far  from  a  close  as  ever  it  had  been. 

The  winter  also  was  very  severe,  the  Hudson  frozen 
across  to  Jersey  City,  and  the  Sound  frozen  across  from  the 
mainland  to  Sands  Point.  There  was  much  poverty  and 
suffering,  and  a  great  gloom  and  depression  owing  to  the 
apparent  failure  of  the  Peace  Commissioners  at  Ghent  to 
effect  any  reasonable  agreement.  Yet  among  the  military 
social  entertainments  were  frequent,  and  the  people  prom 
inent  in  New  York  social  life  still  kept  up  the  pretence  of 
fashion,  and  gave  dinners,  balls,  and  theatre  parties,  which 
had  a  kind  of  half-hearted  semblance  of  gaiety. 

Sapphira  Bloommaert  availed  herself  of  the  reasonable 
excuse  which  public  calamity  gave  her  to  retire  from  every 
thing  society  called  "  pleasure  "  ;  therefore  her  absence  from 
Annette's  entertainments  escaped  the  unpleasant  notice  it 
would  otherwise  have  received.  Annette  was  able  to  parry 
all  inquiries  on  two  grounds;  first,  on  Sappha's  national 
sympathy;  or,  if  this  reason  was  incredulously  received, 
mysteriously  to  associate  Mr.  Murray's  name  with  that  of 
his  country.  "  Sappha  was  so  sensitive  ;  her  country  was 
in  distress,  and  then  also,  her  lover  was  in  danger.  Yes, 
Mr.  Murray  had  joined  General  Jackson  at  New  Orleans, 
and  every  one  knew  what  a  reckless  soldier  General  Jack 
son  was.  Of  course  Sappha  was  not  in  a  dancing  mood. 

285 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

(;^<s:r^tCcSS>CO'=£^>OOI>«^S>09»«SS^CS9«5S^009«s^3>00»<£^^OOOeS^>()05«^C=:>tC«C=2>tOcCr^3';!> 

She  could  understand.  For  if  Mr.  St.  Ange  was  with 
General  Jackson,  she  would  be  incapable  of  seeing  any  one, 
even  her  dearest  friends." 

People  thought  with  her,  or  not  with  her,  Annette  cared 
little.  They  had  been  given  reasons  for  Sappha's  absence  from 
social  affairs,  and  they  could  not,  to  her  face,  go  beyond 
them.  But  Achille  was  not  to  be  so  easily  put  off.  He  him 
self  had  taken  to  the  judge  the  information  that  Leonard 
was  with  General  Jacks«n;  and  after  this  honourable  cer 
tainty  of  her  lover's  position  he  saw  no  reason  for  Sappha's 
seclusion. 

"  Why  does  Sappha  decline  all  our  invitations,  Annette?  " 
he  asked  one  night,  after  a  rather  disappointing  dance. 
"  We  do  miss  her  so  much." 

"  I  endure  her  absence  very  comfortably,"  replied  An 
nette.  "  Sappha  has  been  ill-natured  with  me  ever  since 

Oh,  for  a  long  time.  How  do  you  like  Miss  Bogardus?  " 

"  Very  well,  she  accommodates  herself  perfectly ;  but  why 
is  Sappha  at  disagreement  with  you?  It  is  a  pity.  Our  par 
ties  do  not  succeed  without  her.  She  is  so  lovely,  so  en 
chanting  in  her  grace  and  kindness." 

"  Well,  then,  you  may  accustom  yourself  to  do  without 
her  beauty,  and  enchantments,  and  grace,  and  kindness.  She 
will  never  enter  this  house  again!  There  now!  I  know  it! 
and  I  am  not  broken-hearted,  Achille." 

"  Madame  is  what  she  calls   joking?  " 

Achille  asked  this  question  in  a  cold,  even  voice,  but  if 
2S6 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 

P30«^^QP*^^^00«:g=E>Oaft<=:^>MO*s^>oaQ<:S^>oa^ 

Annette  had  been  a  wise  woman  she  would  have  regarded 
the  look  in  his  eyes  and  the  stern  set  of  his  lips  as  ominous 
and  implacable.  On  the  contrary,  she  defied  them,  being 
roused  to  that  attitude  by  a  number  of  little  annoyances, 
of  which  this  inquiry  concerning  Sappha  was  the  culmina 
tion.  She  flung  down  the  bracelet  she  had  been  unclasping 
in  a  temper,  and  answered : 

"  One  does  not  joke  about  Sapphira  Bloommaert.  No, 
indeed!  A  girl  that  cannot  understand  a  little  mistake — - 
a  mere  slip  of  the  tongue." 

"  You  astonish  me,  Annette,"  answered  Achille.  "  I 
have  always  considered  your  cousin  as  most  amiable — most 
easy  to  persuade.  What  slip,  what  mistake,  did  you  make?  " 

"  I  do  not  care  to  talk  about  Sappha  any  longer.  I  am 
weary." 

"  Then  madame  must  sleep  and  rest.  I  can  myself  ask 
Sappha;  perhaps  I  may  rectify  the  little  mistake — the 
slip » 

"  Oh,  Achille,  do  let  the  subject  drop !  " 

"  It  interests,  it  excites  me.  There  is  a  wrong ;  that  is 
unfortunate.  I  may  put  it  right.  When  did  the  little  mis 
take  occur  ?  " 

Then  Annette  perceived  that  she  must  tell  the  story  her 
self  or  have  the  whole  subject  reopened.  The  latter  course, 
with  her  uncle,  aunt,  and  grandmother  all  opposed  to  her, 
was  not  to  be  endured.  She  was  undressing  her  hair,  and 
she  turned  round  and  faced  Achille  with  its  pale  beauty 

287 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


streaming  over  her  shoulders  and  emphasising  the  living 
whiteness  of  her  face  and  throat;  and  Achille  experienced 
again  that  singular  sense  of  repulsion  and  fascination  she  had 
first  inspired  in  his  heart  ;  for  she  looked  more  like  some  angry 
elfin  creature  than  a  mere  mortal  woman. 

"  Achille,"  she  said,  "  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to  tell 
you  how  I  offended  my  cousin,  who  is  lovely,  so  enchant 
ing  in  her  grace  and  kindness.  You  remember  the  morning 
that  you  had  to  attend  to  Leonard  Murray's  duel?  Very 
well,  you  went  away  without  considering  me.  I  was  forced 
to  get  up,  order  the  carriage,  and  ride  as  fast  as  possible  to 
see  my  uncle." 

"What  for?    What  reason?    None  whatever." 

"  I  wanted  uncle  Gerardus  to  find  you  —  to  stop  you  -  " 

"  You  followed  me  —  you  sent  your  uncle  to  follow  me. 
I  surely  do  not  understand  !  " 

"  Uncle  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair,  and 
he  treated  me  rudely." 

'^Rudely?    I  must  see  about  that." 

"  Good  gracious,  Achille  !  I  mean  unkindly.  He  would 
not  interfere,  and  he  told  me  not  to  trouble  Sappha  —  and  I 
was  afraid  for  you." 

"  Mon  Dieu,  Annette  !    Afraid  for  me  !  " 

"  And  the  very  sight  of  Sappha  was  more  than  I  could 
bear.  All  this  trouble  for  me  because  of  her  cowardly 
lover,  and  so  I  told  her  what  every  one  was  calling  Leonard. 
You  know  very  well  what  that  was.  And  she  got  angry,  and 

288 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


that  made  me  say  a  thing  I  was  sorry  for  afterwards;  and 
I  told  her  that  I  was  sorry,  and  she  made  believe  to  forgive 
me,  but  Sappha  does  not  forgive  right;  and  not  even  grand 
mother  or  uncle  Gerardus  can  make  her." 

"  What  thing  was  it  you  said  ?  " 

"  I  said  every  respectable  person  would  shut  their  doors 
against  Leonard  Murray,  and  that  I  supposed  I  should  have 
to  shut  my  doors  ;  and  so  now  she  will  not  come  here.  She 
says  she  never  will  come,  unless  Leonard  comes  with  her." 

"  Madame  reminds  me.  This  truly  is  madame's  house, 
and  madame  has  the  right  to  shut  her  doors  against  any  one 
she  wishes  to  affront.  I  must  protect  my  friend,  I  must  ask 
him  to  a  house  whose  doors  stand  open  for  him.  To-morrow 
I  shall  conclude  the  purchase  of  the  Mowatt  place,  and  we 
shall  remove  to  it.  I  know  not  what  day  Mr.  Murray  may 
return,  and  the  possibility  of  his  being  turned  away  from 
madame's  house  fills  me  with  anxiety." 

"  Oh,  Achille  I  Achille  I  We  cannot  leave  this  house. 
Grandfather  de  Vries  only  gave  it  to  me  on  condition  we 
lived  in  it.  We  shall  lose  the  place,  and  it  is  valuable  prop 
erty.  Oh,  Achille!" 

"  Madame  must  understand  that  I  would  rather  lose  the 
property  than  lose  my  friend." 

From  this  position  Achille  would  not  retire,  and  An 
nette's  friends  would  not  interfere.  Madame  said  "  she 
had  no  control  over  Annette's  finances,  and  that  it  was 
De  Vries'  way  to  keep  a  string  tied  to  every  dollar  not 

289 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

ft(>fre^^^OP«£S'!^^^^£rs>o;>0<^^^Pt)Q^^S^Q()ft<£-S>Qftflg^  Of  <SXZ5>OC«^CC2>335 

entirely  under  his  own  hand.  And  when  Annette  grew 
sentimental  over  the  place,  as  "  one  of  her  wedding  gifts  " 
and  "  her  bride  home,"  madame  said : 

"  Full  of  memories  it  was,  before  you  were  born,  Annette, 
and  they  are  not  all  pleasant  ones.  At  the  cost  of  your  purse, 
your  tongue  has  talked ;  I  hope,  then,  you  will  remember 
the  lesson  you  pay  dearly  for."  Mrs.  Bloommaert  thought 
the  Mowatt  house  would  be  healthier  for  Jonaca.  It  was 
high  and  sunny,  and  she  advised  her  niece  to  accept  it  cheer 
fully  on  that  ground.  But  the  judge  administered  the  most 
consoling  opinion,  for  he  laughed  at  Annette's  fears  and 
said,  "  Batavius  de  Vries  was  non  compos  mentis  and  in 
capable  of  making  any  change  in  his  will  that  would  stand." 
This  assurance  set  Annette  firmly  on  her  feet.  She  accepted 
the  inevitable  as  if  it  was  precisely  the  thing  she  had  been 
longing  for.  And  though  Achille  was  astonished  at  her 
charming  complaisance  and  co-operation,  he  admired  her 
tact,  and  rewarded  it  by  adorning  and  furnishing  her  rooms 
in  the  delicate  blues  she  affected. 

The  news  of  this  change  of  residence  caused  far  less  sur 
prise  and  talk  than  Annette  had  anticipated.  No  one  seemed 
to  consider  it  of  much  importance,  and  the  reasons  and  ex 
cuses  for  her  removal  which  Annette  had  prepared  were 
hardly  called  for.  Indeed,  most  people  had  interests  of  their 
own  to  employ  all  their  speculation,  for  the  winter  was  the 
most  hopeless  one  New  York  had  suffered  since  the  com 
mencement  of  the  war.  Many,  like  Sapphira  Bloommaert, 

290 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


refused  all  invitations  to  parties  of  pleasure;  some  on  patri 
otic  grounds,  many  more  because  the  financial  pressure  of 
the  times  forbade  extravagance  of  every  kind.  And  as  if 
to  sanction  and  strengthen  this  retirement,  the  President 
urged  the  keeping  of  the  twelfth  day  of  January,  1815,  as 
a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayers  for  peace.  The 
bitter  cold,  the  deep  snows,  the  scarcity  of  all  necessaries 
of  life,  the  silence  and  suspense  enforced  by  the  winter, 
affected  the  most  careless;  and  there  was  an  oppressive  feel 
ing  and  a  longing  for  peace  that  could  not  be  thrown  ofx. 

The  reviving  stir  under  this  national  nightmare  did  not 
occur  until  the  evening  of  February  the  eleventh.  Sappha 
was  reading  to  her  father  the  travels  of  Mungo  Park,  and 
they  were  much  interested  in  them.  Even  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert  had  let  her  work  fall  to  her  lap,  and  was  listening 
with  moist  eyes  to  Park's  despair  in  the  desert  and  his  res 
toration  to  hope  and  life  by  the  sight  of  a  little  wild  flower 
in  the  desolate  place.  Suddenly  a  chorus  of  exulting  shouts 
filled  the  Bowling  Green.  The  judge  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  //  is  peace!"  he  cried.  "Open  the  windows!  Let  us 
hear  !  Let  us  see  !  "  And  at  that  moment  every  window  on 
the  Bowling  Green  was  thrown  open.  Men  were  pouring 
from  the  houses  into  the  street,  as  a  deep  harmonius  anthem 
came  rolling  down  Broadway,  into  the  Bowling  Green,  an 
anthem  of  one  glad  note  —  "  Peace!  Peace!  Peace!  " 

Regardless  of  all  warnings  and  entreaties,  the  judge  went 
out.  "The  news  will  keep  me  warm,"  he  said;  and  as  he 

291 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


hastily  buttoned  up  his  long  coat  he  looked  twenty  years 
younger.  "  You  need  not  be  anxious  about  father  to-night," 
said  Sappha  to  her  mother.  "  He  will  take  no  harm,  and, 
oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  go  with  him!  " 

By  this  time  every  house  in  the  neighbourhood  was  illumi 
nated  and  open;  the  women  in  them  calling  and  waving  to 
each  other.  The  forts  were  bellowing  the  news  up  and 
down  the  river;  and  for  four  hours  thousands  of  men  and 
women  were  constantly  passing  through  the  Bowling  Green 
carrying  torches  and  crying  with  jubilant  voices  the  same 
glad  word,  "  Peace!  Peace!  Peace!  "  And  above  all  this 
joyful  hubbub  the  bells  of  Trinity  rang  clear  and  strong, 
echoing  between  earth  and  heaven  the  same  exulting  song. 

Not  until  after  midnight  did  the  judge  return  home.  He 
had  been  a  sick  man  for  a  week.  He  was  then  quite  well, 
full  of  hope,  almost  drunk  with  enthusiasm.  Hot  coffee  was 
waiting  for  him,  but  he  called  for  meat,  and  insisted  on 
having  it.  "  The  doctor  has  nothing  to  do  with  my  case 
to-night,"  he  said.  "  I  know  what  I  want,  Carlita.  I  am 
hungry.  I  have  spent  ten  years  of  life  the  past  four  hours. 
Glad  of  it  —  well  spent  are  they!  Give  me  meat  and  bread. 
Oh,  then,  I  will  take  coffee,  but  it  ought  to  be  wine  —  the 
best  wine  in  the  world  is  not  enough." 

He  was  throwing  off  his  coat  as  he  spoke,  and  he  then 
went  to  the  roaring  fire  and  spread  out  his  wet  feet  to  its 
warmth.  His  wife  looked  with  terror  at  their  condition. 

"  I  did  not  know  they  were  wet,  Carlita,"  he  said.  "  I 
292 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 

never  thought  of  my  feet.  Kouba,  take  off  my  shoes  and 
stockings  and  get  dry  ones.  My  feet  were  too  happy  to 
be  sick;  they  never  gave  me  one  twinge!  Why,  Carlita,  I 
have  walked  miles  to-night,  and  I  am  not  tired." 

"  And  you  are  so  hoarse  that  you  can  scarcely  whisper, 
Gerard  us." 

"  Am  I  ?  Then  I  must  have  been  shouting  with  the  rest. 
I  did  not  know  it.  Never  mind,  the  news  is  worth  the 
shout.  Now  my  feet  are  dry  and  warm,  give  me  my 
coffee,  and  something  to  eat;  and  I  will  talk  to  you — if  I 
can." 

"  Did  you  see  anything  of  Peter?  " 

"  I  met  him.  He  had  been  to  mother's,  and  he  was 
coming  for  me." 

"  How  did  Peter  hear  so  quickly?  " 

"  He  was  sitting  in  the  office  of  The  Gazette  m  Hanover 
Square.  Peter  goes  there  often  in  the  evenings.  It  is  a 
great  place  of  resort  for  the  men  of  that  quarter;  but  being 
Saturday  night  no  one  was  there  but  Mr.  Lang  and  Alder 
man  Cebra;  and  they  were  just  going  to  shut  up  the  office 
when  a  pilot  rushed  in.  He  stood  for  a  moment  breathless 
and  speechless,  and  while  they  wondered  he  gasped  out, 
'Peace!  the  boat  is  here  with  the  treaty!1  In  a  minute, 
Peter  says,  every  one  rushed  into  the  Square  shouting 
Peace!  and  every  window  was  thrown  up,  and  every  one 
in  the  surrounding  houses  was  on  the  street.  And  im 
mediately  the  cry  was  heard  from  all  quarters  of  the  city. 

293 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


The  news  spread  like  wildfire.  No  one  could  say  how  it 
happened,  but  in  less  than  one  hour  every  waking  soul  in 
New  York  knew  it.  Houses  were  all  illuminated,  and  I 
wonder  if  there  was  any  one  left  in  them,  for  the  streets 
were  crowded  with  men  and  women  both;  and  none  thought 
of  the  cold,  and  no  one  knew  that  it  was  snowing." 

"  And  now  you  can  hardly  speak,  Gerardus." 

"  I  have  been  shouting,  though  I  did  not  know  that  I 
opened  my  lips.  Such  a  song  of  gladness  I  shall  never  hear 
again,  Carlita,  in  this  world.  I  am  glad  I  lost  my  voice 
in  it." 

"  Well  and  good  ;  but  what  did  the  Democrats  say  ? 
Did  they  --  " 

"  We  were  all  Democrats,  and  we  were  all  Federalists 
to-night.  Men  that  have  not  spoken  to  each  other  for  four 
years  shook  hands  to-night.  Strangers  were  friends  to-night. 
There  were  no  rich  and  no  poor  to-night.  We  were  all  citi 
zens  of  New  York  to-night.  We  were  all  brothers.  Carlita, 
Sappha,  I  would  not  have  missed  to-night  for  anything  in 
the  world." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  to  suffer  for  it,  Gerardus." 

"  I  do  not  believe  it.  I  never  felt  better  in  all  my  life. 
Why,  here  comes  Mr.  Goodrich!  "  And  with  these  words  a 
bright,  exulting  gentleman  walked  into  the  room. 

"  Your  door  stood  open,  judge,"  he  said,  "  and  I  did  not 
know  you  were  able  to  be  out,  so  I  thought  I  would  call  and 
rejoice  a  while  with  you." 

294 


THE    REPROOF    OF    THE    SWORD 


"  I  have  been  on  the  street  for  four  hours,  Mr.  Good 
rich  ;  four  of  the  happiest  hours  of  my  life.  You  know  about 
that?" 

"Thank  God,  I  do!  I  went  last  night  to  Miss  Bel 
linger's  concert  and  ball  at  the  City  Hotel.  She  was  sing 
ing  The  Death  of  Lawrence  when  I  heard  a  strange  mur 
mur,  and  then  a  wild  shout  on  the  street.  The  next  mo 
ment  the  door  of  the  concert  hall  was  thrown  open  and  a 
man,  breathless  with  excitement,  rushed  in  crying  'Peace! 
Peace!  An  English  sloop-of-war  is  here  with  the  treaty.' 
The  music  instantly  ceased,  and  the  hall  was  empty  in  a 
few  minutes.  No  one  thought  of  the  song,  no  one  remem 
bered  the  ball.  We  all,  men  and  women,  rushed  into  the 
street.  Broadway  was  a  living  tide  of  happy,  shouting  hu 
man  beings.  Many  were  bare-headed,  and  did  not  know  it. 
No  one  cared  for  the  cold.  They  were  white  with  snow, 
and  quite  indifferent  to  the  fact." 

"  I  saw  them!  I  was  among  them!  I  must  have  been 
shouting  too,  but  I  was  not  aware  of  it  at  the  time.  Have 
you  heard  from  any  one  what  terms  we  have  got?  Will 
you  believe  that  I  have  not  thought  of  '  terms  '  until  this 
moment?  " 

"  Nor  have  I,  judge.  I  have  heard  no  one  ask  about  the 
terms.  No  one  cares  about  terms  just  yet.  We  have  peace! 
That  is  enough!  " 


295 


QrtC 


CHAPTER 

TEN 


The  Star  of  Peace 


Q 


T 


HE  one  idea  of  New  York,  now  that  peace 
was  assured,  was  renovation  and  recon 
struction.  Every  one  was  busy.  The  war 
was  a  dead  issue,  commerce  was  a  living 
one.  The  passion  for  trading  and  building 


took  the  place  of  the  military  passion,  and  the  happy  sounds 
of  labour  and  traffic  superseded  those  of  the  cannon  and  the 
drum. 

The  preservation  of  the  city  had  been  for  four  years  the 
dominant  care  of  its  inhabitants;  now  that  it  was  safe  they 
turned  with  a  vehement  spirit  of  industry  to  building  up 
trade  and  commerce  in  every  direction.  It  was  under  these 
auspices  a  joyful  city.  There  was  less  dancing  and  dining, 
but  there  was  a  growing  prosperity  and  content,  for  all  had 
some  business  or  handicraft  to  pursue,  and  all  were  full  of 
hope  and  energy. 

And  the  spirit  of  reconstruction  was  as  potent  in  women 
as  in  men,  though  their  arena  for  its  exercise  was  more  re 
stricted.  Mrs.  Bloommaert  began  at  once  to  talk  of  new 
carpets  and  curtains,  and  of  a  complete  refurnishing  of  the 
principal  rooms  of  the  house.  And  as  the  spring  came  on 
every  dwelling  on  the  Bowling  Green  caught  this  fever  of 

296 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


improvement;  and  first  one  and  then  another  displayed  to 
passers-by  their  fresh  paint  and  their  new  lace  draperies. 
It  was  a  sign  of  some  consequence,  for  it  typified  the  strength 
of  that  hope  and  energy  which  embraced  domestic  comforts 
and  elegancies  as  part  and  parcel  of  their  civic  prosperity. 

In  all  the  changes  made  in  the  Bloommaert  house  Sappha 
felt,  or  at  least  affected  to  feel,  a  sufficient  interest.  She 
could  not  shadow  her  mother's  busy  pleasure  by  any  eviii-.nt 
want  of  sympathy,  yet  it  was  sometimes  difficult  to  forget 
sufficiently  her  offended  lover.  Her  soul — that  strange, 
fluttering  mystery — had  lost  its  life's  dominant,  the  other 
soul  to  which  it  had  learned  to  refer  every  thought  and 
desire ;  and  there  was  now  silence  or  discord  where  once  there 
had  been  sweetest  melody.  Her  suffering,  however,  was  no 
longer  a  storm,  it  was  rather  a  still,  hopeless  rain,  an  un- 
impassioned  grief  that  seldom  found  the  natural  outlet  of 
tears.  But  these  constant  fires  of  repression  and  self-immo 
lation  were  sacramental  as  well  as  sacrificial.  They  were 
strong  with  absolution  also;  and  thus  made  calm  and  sure 
by  much  sorrow  and  by  one  love,  she  gradually  came  out 
of  trouble  with  a  spirit  tempered  as  by  fire;  having  lost 
nothing  in  the  furnace  but  the  dross  of  her  nobler  qualities. 

She  rarely  heard  of  Leonard.  She  knew  that  he  was  in 
New  Orleans,  and  attached  to  the  staff  of  General  Jack 
son;  and  so,  in  the  final  struggle,  doing  his  duty  to  his 
country.  But  she  never  forgot  the  fact  that  he  ought  to 
have  been  in  his  native  city.  "  It  is  my  fault,  all  my  fault. 

297 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


No  wonder  Leonard  cannot  forgive  me,"  she  said  when 
Mrs.  Bloommaert  blamed  his  absence  during  the  darkest 
days  New  York  had  known. 

The  news  of  the  victory  at  New  Orleans  followed  closely 
on  the  news  of  peace.  It  was  brought  to  the  Bloommaert 
household  by  Achille,  who  received  it  with  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Edward  Livingston.  "  Our  friend  Leonard  Murray  was 
wounded  in  the  right  arm,"  he  added  ;  "  rather  a  bad  sword 
cut,  but  he  is  with  the  Livingstons,  and  has  every  possible 
care  and  attention." 

Annette  came  in  later,  and,  unaware  of  her  husband's 
visit,  made  a  great  deal  more  of  Leonard's  wound  than 
Achille  had  done.  She  "  hoped  it  would  not  be  necessary  to 
resort  to  amputation  —  a  right  arm  was  so  convenient,  not 
to  say  necessary.  And  he  got  it  just  for  interfering,"  she 
continued.  "  An  English  officer  had  struck  down  a  man 
carrying  the  flag,  and  Leonard  caught  the  flag  as  it  was 
falling,  and  then  of  course  the  Englishman  fell  upon  Leon 
ard.  Leonard  always  was  so  interfering  —  I  mean  so  ready 
to  do  every  one's  duty  for  them.  You  see  it  was  not  his  place 
to  take  care  of  the  flag;  so  he  got  hurt  taking  care  of  it. 
Grandfather  de  Vries  always  told  me  never  to  volunteer, 
and  never  to  interfere.  If  a  person  does  his  own  work  and 
duty  in  this  world,  it  is  all  that  can  be  expected  of  him. 
Poor  Leonard  !  " 

"Oh!"  said  Sappha,  "  I  think  you  may  keep  your  pity, 
Annette,  for  these  poor  creatures  who  never  volunteer  and 

298 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


never  interfere.  Suppose  every  one  had  followed  your  grand 
father's  advice,  where  would  America  be  now?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.  It  is  not  my  place  to  look  after 
America,"  answered  Annette. 

"  I  will  tell  you  then  —  it  would  be  under  the  feet  of  Eng 
land." 

"  Grandfather  de  Vries  often  says  there  were  very  good 
times  when  the  English  were  here  -  " 

"  Come,  come,  Annette,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Bloommaert, 
"  you  are  only  talking  nonsense.  When  do  you  move  into 
your  new  house  ?  " 

"  Next  month.  Achille  is  delightfully  considerate.  All 
my  rooms  are  furnished  in  blue,  because  he  thinks  blue  sc 
becoming  to  me;  and  he  takes  my  advice  entirely  about  the 
rest.  We  shall  have  the  most  elegant  dwelling  in  the  city; 
and  I  am  glad  this  dreadful  war  is  over.  Now  I  can  get  the 
carpets  I  desire." 

"  Did  Mrs.  Livingston  say  anything  about  the  condition 
of  New  Orleans?  "  asked  Mrs.  Bloommaert. 

"  I  did  not  read  her  letter.  Achille  desired  me  to  do  so, 
but  I  have  honour.  I  would  not  read  Mrs.  Livingston's 
letter.  I  do  not  see  why  she  should  write  to  my  husband. 
I  do  not  write  to  Mr.  Livingston." 

"  She  is  an  old  friend  of  Achille's.  Mr.  Livingston  is 
much  too  busy  to  write  letters.  Perhaps  she  thought  Leon 
ard  Murray  had  friends  in  New  York  who  would  be  glad 
to  hear  that  he  was  well  cared  for." 

299 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Do  you  believe  that  Leonard  Murray  yet  remembers 
us?  I  do  not.  We  were  all  so  kind  to  the  young  man,  and 
Achille  stood  by  him  when  no  one  else  would.  Oh,  you  need 
not  leave  the  room,  Sappha!  I  was  just  going  to  praise 
Leonard  a  little." 

But  Sappha  did  leave  the  room,  and  Mrs.  Bloommaert 
said  with  some  temper: 

"  You  have  done  mischief  enough,  Annette  ;  why  can  you 
not  let  Leonard  alone  ?  You  are  too  unkind  to  Sappha." 

"  Oh,  then,  aunt,  I  think  it  is  Sappha  who  is  truly  cruel 
to  me.  Because  she  will  not  come  to  our  house,  I  shall  have 
to  remove  to  that  ugly  Mowatt  place.  I  hate  it.  All  the 
pretty  furniture  in  the  world  will  not  make  it  endurable; 
and  if  Sappha  will  not  visit  us  there,  I  know  not  what 
Achille  will  say  or  do.  To  be  driven  from  house  to  house  for 
Sappha's  temper  is  not  a  pleasant  or  a  reasonable  thing." 

"  Before  Sappha's  temper,  there  was  your  own  temper, 
Annette;  and  I  am  sure  you  need  not  expect  Sappha  to 
visit  you  in  your  new  home  unless  you  also  expect  Leonard." 

"  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  write  to  Leonard,  and  tell  him 
the  trouble  I  am  in.  I  think  he  would  come  back  and  get 
Sappha  to  forgive  me  properly,  if  I  ask  him.  He  was  always 
very  fond  of  me." 

"  If  you  write  to  Leonard  Murray  one  word  about  Sap- 
phira  Bloommaert  I  will  never  speak  to  you  again,  An 
nette.  You  may  depend  upon  that!  How  can  you  be  so 
malicious?  " 

300 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


"  Malicious  !  You  will  misunderstand  me,  aunt  Carlita. 
I  thought  perhaps  if  I  wrote  and  told  Leonard  how  angry 
Sappha  was,  and  how  Achille  had  nearly  quarrelled  with  me 
about  Sappha,  he  might  come  back  to  New  York.  And  I 
am  sure  any  one  can  see  that  Sappha  is  breaking  her  heart 
about  his  desertion  of  her." 

"  Sappha  is  doing  nothing  of  the  kind.  Sappha  is  per 
fectly  happy." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  it  !  Sappha  is  perfectly  happy  ! 
Why  did  she  go  away?  I  really  meant  nothing  unkind. 
If  she  had  only  remained,  I  was  going  to  tell  her  about 
Aglae  Davezac,  Mrs.  Livingston's  lovely  sister.  I  dare  say 
she  consoles  Leonard  very  well.  She  is  not  handsome,  but 
she  has  a  beautiful  figure,  and  is  very  witty." 

"  Annette,  if  you  will  believe  me,  we  are  neither  of  us 
interested  in  either  Mrs.  Livingston  or  her  lovely  sister. 
There  are  things  nearer  home.  When  did  you  call  on  your 
grandmother?  She  was  complaining  of  your  neglect  lately." 

"  I  am  just  going  to  see  her." 

"  I  hope  you  will  tell  her  exactly  what  you  have  said 
here." 

"  No,  we  shall  talk  about  Jonaca  and  the  new  house. 
Good-morning,  aunt!  " 

Annette's  visits  had  fallen  into  this  kind  of  veiled  unfriend 
liness.  She  would  have  ceased  coming  to  the  Bowling  Green 
at  all  if  Achille's  pointed  inquiries  had  not  forced  her  into 
a  semblance  of  civility,  for  she  blamed  Sappha,  not  only  for 

301 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


her  removal  to  the  Mowatt  house,  but  also  for  many  a  pas 
sage  of  words  between  Achilla  and  herself  that  were  less 
agreeable  than  they  ought  to  have  been,  or  would  have 
been  if  Sappha  had  not  formed  the  subject  of  discussion. 
And  from  Annette's  point  of  view,  perhaps  there  was  cause 
for  some  irritation.  For  a  few  hasty  words  which  Sappha 
refused  to  ignore,  there  had  been  many  hasty  ones  between 
herself  and  Achille;  and,  moreover,  she  did  not  feel  the 
Mowatt  house  any  equivalent  for  the  roomy,  aristocratic 
dwelling  she  had  been  compelled  to  abandon.  Every  annoy 
ance  that  came  up  regarding  this  removal  she  blamed  Sappha 
for;  and  though  she  affected  to  be  pleased  with  the  change, 
it  had  not  only  been  a  bitter  mortification  to  her,  but  also 
brought  other  unpleasant  consequences  in  its  train.  For  it 
had  been  just  the  very  kind  of  thing  necessary  to  rouse 
Achille  to  a  sense  of  small  household  tyranny  that  he  had 
tolerated  because  he  preferred  toleration  to  assertion.  But 
having  once  affirmed  and  exerted  his  right  he  had  not  again 
relinquished  the  authority  of  master. 

"  I  submitted  too  easily,"  said  Annette,  when  discussing 
the  subject  with  her  grandmother;  "and  now  Achille  just 
says  '  madame  will  do  this,'  or  '  madame  will  go  there,' 
or  '  madame  will  say  so-and-so,'  and  I  seem  to  have  no  power 
to  say  madame  will  not.  Oh,  grandmother,  just  for  a  few 
words!  It  is  too  much  punishment!  I  was  so  happy,  and 
now  I  am  not  happy  at  all.  I  sometimes  wish  that  I  could 
die." 

302 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 

)3»<=3»eO«S35»»0«=X3>0aO<=»>099«=^»000-==S»00»«S=2>ODO«=^>00»«=^»000«=^3>«0<=S»M«=CS>0»» 

"  Annette,  my  dear  one,  thou  must  not  make  more  of 
trouble  than  there  is.  Often  I  have  told  thee  not  to  com 
plain;  after  complaint  there  is  no  oblivion.  If  Achille  can 
be  polite,  cannot  thou  be  silent?  With  silence,  one  may 
plague  the  devil ;  but  as  for  spoken  words,  no  sponge  wipes 
them  out." 

Thus  and  so  events  were  progressing,  as  the  spring  of 
1815  waxed  to  June  and  roses  again.  There  was  at  this 
time  some  probability  that  the  judge  might  be  requested  to 
go  to  England  as  legal  adviser  to  agents  sent  by  the  govern 
ment  to  arrange  some  question  of  boundary  not  very  clearly 
stated;  and  if  so,  he  proposed  to  take  his  wife  and  daughter 
with  him. 

Sappha  heard  of  this  arrangement  with  dismay,  and  it 
was  hard  for  her  to  enter  into  her  mother's  little  flurry  of 
anticipation.  She  did  not  wish  to  leave  New  York  at  all, 
for  she  felt  certain  that  Leonard  would  return  as  soon  as  he 
was  able,  if  only  to  look  after  his  large  interests  in  property 
and  real  estate.  For  in  the  short  time  intervening  between 
the  advent  of  peace  and  the  advent  of  summer  the  whole 
aspect  of  New  York  had  been  changed.  Stores  and  ware 
houses  long  closed  were  open,  houses  of  all  kinds  had  found 
ready  tenants,  the  streets  were  crowded  with  vehicles,  the 
shipyards  literally  alive,  and  vessels  coming  and  going  con 
stantly  from  and  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  There  was 
not  a  branch  of  industry  nor  a  corner  of  the  city  where  New 
York's  citizens  were  not  proving  their  liberal  views,  their 

303 


broad  intelligence,  and  their  energetic  activity.  How  could 
Leonard  Murray  stay  away  from  his  own  city  when  it  was 
offering  him  such  advantages  for  new  investments  and  such 
excellent  opportunities  for  those  he  already  possessed? 

She  did  not  include  herself  among  the  reasons  for  his 
return.  She  had  no  hope  that  she  could  influence  it  in  any 
way.  If  Leonard  had  not  quite  forgotten  her,  he  had  at 
least  resolved  not  to  renew  their  acquaintance  in  any  de 
gree.  If  this  were  not  the  case,  he  would  have  written  to 
her,  sent  her  some  message,  some  token,  if  it  were  only  a 
flower.  And  at  this  point  she  always  felt  anew  the  pang  of 
despair;  for  Leonard  would  never  give  her  another  flower. 
She  had  no  reason  to  expect  it,  she  did  not  deserve  it.  Here 
reflection  stopped.  It  could  go  no  further,  the  memory  of 
that  scattered  rose  was  a  barrier  that  no  love  could  put 
aside  or  win  over. 

She  made  one  effort  to  remain  at  home;  she  went  to  her 
grandmother  and  entreated  that  she  would  interfere  for  her. 
"  If  you  desired  me  to  stay  with  you,  dear  grandmother," 
she  said,  "  my  father  would  permit  it ;  I  am  sure  he  would." 

"  So  then,  dear  one,  I  must  not  ask  hirm  Thy  mother, 
what  of  her?  Very  much  disappointed  she  would  be.  To 
see  the  wonderful  sights  of  London  alone,  what  pleasure 
would  she  find  in  that?  And  the  shopping,  and  the  visiting 
without  thee,  would  not  be  the  same.  Oh,  no,  it  is  in  thy 
delight  the  good  mother  will  find  delight;  and  in  the  ad 
miration  thou  wilt  receive  will  be  her  honour.  Very  much 

304 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


alone  she  will  be  without  thee,  for,  as  to  thy  father,  the 
affairs  of  his  commission  will  occupy  him.  Shall  I  tell  thee 
thy  duty?  It  is  to  put  away  all  regret  from  thy  thoughts; 
to  give  thyself  to  the  honour  and  pleasure  of  thy  good 
parents;  to  add  thy  smiles,  thy  hopes,  thy  glad  young  spirits 
to  theirs.  This  is  a  great  honour  for  thy  father,  a  great 
pleasure  for  thy  mother,  and  if  Sapphira  Bloommaert  I 
know,  I  think  she  will  no^t  make  it  less.  No,  she  will  smile, 
and  then  ten  times  greater  it  will  be." 

And  at  these  words  Sappha  smiled,  and  promised  to  go 
willingly  and  do  all  she  could  to  increase  the  joy  of  those 
with  her. 

"  And  that  will  not  only  be  right,  but  wise,"  answered 
the  old  lady ;  "  for  in  the  way  of  duty  it  is  that  we  meet 
blessing  and  happiness." 

From  this  interview  Sappha  went  home  determined  to 
lift  cheerfully  the  burden  in  her  way;  and  lo!  it  became 
lighter  than  a  grasshopper.  She  found  that  as  soon  as  she 
put  herself  out  of  consideration  she  caught  the  spirit  of  the 
change;  she  became  interested  in  all  the  details  of  their 
journey,  and  finally  almost  enthusiastic.  Then  her  father's 
pride  and  happy  anticipations  were  hers,  as  were  also  her 
mother's  manifold  little  plans  for  her  own  desires  and  her 
promises  for  the  desires  of  others.  They  lingered  over  their 
meals,  and  they  sat  hours  later  at  night,  talking  about 
the  places  they  were  to  visit,  the  people  they  were  to  see,  and 
the  beautiful  things  they  were  to  purchase.  They  had  long 

305 


lists  of  china,  and  silk,  and  lace,  to  which  they  were  con 
stantly  adding;  for  all  their  relatives  and  friends  and  ac 
quaintances  had  commissions  for  them  to  fill. 

In  these  busy,  happy  days  Sappha  won  back  all  the  glad- 
someness  she  had  lost.  She  put  Leonard,  with  a  loving 
thought,  into  the  background  of  her  hopes.  She  gave  her 
self  without  one  grudging  thought  to  the  joy  set  before  her. 
And  with  this  happy  spirit  came  back  the  radiancy  of  her 
beauty;  her  step  regained  its  elasticity,  her  cheeks  their  bril 
liant  colour,  her  eyes  their  tender  glow,  her  smiles  their  love- 
making  persuasion.  And  every  one  but  madame  said  it  was 
because  she  was  going  to  Europe  and  expected  to  be  pre 
sented  at  Court.  Even  the  judge  smiled  a  little  sarcastic 
ally,  and  said  to  himself,  "  Leonard  Murray  has  been  for 
gotten."  Mrs.  Bloommaert  did  not  err  quite  so  far;  but 
realising  the  charm  of  all  the  new  expectations  before  her, 
she  gave  them  the  credit  of  changing  Sappha's  dejection 
to  cheerfulness.  It  was  only  madame  who  knew  the  secret 
of  the  happy  transition;  she  understood  how  the  noblest 
feelings  had  crushed  down  the  selfish  ones  and  restored  the 
almost  despairing  girl,  by  showing  her  life  with  a  larger 
horizon  than  her  own  personality. 

So  affairs  went  on  in  the  Bowling  Green  house  until  only 
ten  days  remained  for  the  last  preparations.  And  these  days 
were  expected  to  be  full  of  visits  and  farewell  hospitalities; 
for  a  voyage  to  Europe  was  at  that  time  an  undertaking 
surrounded  by  uncertainty,  and  even  danger,  and  people  went 

306 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 

OW-=SS>tCe^S>CCC^^»000<=^=»03l)^:^»OJ(>'=^^003«=^^^0;0>=^=»030'=^?»033<2^S>eC<r^^>CC«==— =-033 

to  the  Bloommaerts  to  bid  them  good-bye,  and  then  as 
they  spoke  of  the  subject  shook  doubtful  heads  and  won 
dered  it  they  would  ever  see  them  again. 

One  day  about  a  week  before  they  were  to  leave  Sappha 
put  on  her  hat  to  go  to  Nassau  Street.  There  had  been  many 
callers,  and  she  was  excited  and  a  little  weary,  but  Mrs. 
Bloommaert  was  still  more  so;  and  Sappha  entreated  her 
to  try  and  sleep  until  she  returned.  Having  darkened  the 
room  she  went  away,  a  little  depressed  by  the  shutting  out 
of  the  sunlight,  the  uncovered  stairway,  and  general  air  of 
the  dismantled  home.  But  she  was  so  beautiful  that  any 
one  might  have  wondered  what  mystic  elements  had  been 
combined  to  produce  that  air  of  pleased  serenity  and  thought 
ful  happiness,  which  gave  to  her  youth  and  loveliness  a 
charm  that  mere  form  and  colour  could  not  impart.  She 
was  thinking  of  Leonard.  As  she  went  slowly  from  step 
to  step,  she  was  thinking  of  Leonard.  That  day  Mrs. 
Livingston  had  called,  and  she  had  talked  enthusiastically 
about  him,  of  his  bravery  in  action,  and  his  cheerfulness  when 
suffering;  and,  moreover,  of  his  return  to  New  York.  "  His 
wound  had  been  worse  than  at  first  appeared  likely,"  she 
said,  "  but  her  sister-in-law  believed  he  would  be  able 
to  leave  New  Orleans  before  the  yellow  fever  season.  A 
thing  very  desirable,"  she  added,  "  for  there  are  fears  of  a 
severe  epidemic  this  year." 

"  But  Mr.  Murray  will  come  north  before  the  danger?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Bloommaert. 

307 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  I  am  sure  he  will;  next  month  early,  I  should  say." 

Sappha  was  thinking  of  this  promise,  and  telling  herself 
that  she  would  persuade  her  grandmother  to  see  Leonard 
and  say  for  her  all  she  would  say,  if  present.  She  had  su 
preme  confidence  in  her  love  and  wisdom,  and  believed 
that  if  ever  Leonard  could  be  reconciled,  it  might  well  be 
by  Madame  Bloommaert's  representations.  She  did  not 
trust  Annette,  but  her  grandmother  could  not  fail!  and  it 
was  the  light  of  these  words  "  could  not  fail!  "  that  gave 
such  singular  radiance  and  serenity  to  her  face  and  manner. 

She  looked  into  the  parlour  to  see  if  her  father  had  re 
turned  home,  and  then  opened  the  front  door.  As  she  did 
so  an  eager,  tender  voice  said  "  Sappha!  Sappha!  "  and  at  the 
same  moment  she  cried  out,  "  Leonard!  Leonard! "  The 
four  words  blended  as  one  voice;  and  as  they  did  so  their 
hands  clasped,  their  lips  met,  and  the  two  that  had  been  so 
miserably  two,  were  now  one  again. 

They  went  into  the  parlour  and  sat  down,  hardly  able  to 
speak — toe  happy  to  speak — too  sure  of  each  other  to  want 
explanations,  even  to  bear  them,  throwing  the  wretched 
episode  of  the  quarrel  behind  them,  caring  only  for  a  future 
in  which  they  might  never  more  miss  each  other  for  a 
moment.  Pale  with  suffering  and  confinement,  Leonard 
had  just  that  air  of  pathos  which  takes  a  woman's  heart 
by  storm;  and  Sappha  felt  that  she  had  never  until  that 
moment  known  how  dear  he  was  to  her. 

Mentally  she  asked  herself  what  was  now  to  be  done- 
308 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


She  felt  that  the  journey  to  England  had  become  an  impos 
sible  thing.  She  could  not  leave  Leonard.  She  could  not 
even  speak  of  the  coming  separation.  For  a  little  while  she 
wished  the  felicity  of  their  reunion  to  be  shadeless,  cloudless, 
saddened  by  no  yesterday,  fearing  no  to-morrow.  Just  one 
hour  of  such  love  could  sweeten  life,  why  invade  it  with  any 
careful  thought? 

All  too  soon  the  careful  thought  came.  Leonard  had  heard 
of  the  intended  voyage,  and  it  had  filled  him  with  such 
anxiety  that  against  all  advices  and  persuasions  he  had 
hastened  his  return  to  New  York.  He  was  resolved  that 
Sappha  should  remain  with  him,  or  else  that  he  should  go 
with  Sappha.  In  either  case,  immediate  marriage  was  advis 
able,  and  Sappha  had  now  no  desire  to  oppose  his  wishes. 

"  We  can  be  married  to-morrow,  the  next  day,  the  day 
we  leave.  What  is  to  prevent  it  ?  "  he  asked.  She  laid  her 
hand  in  his  for  answer,  and  at  that  moment  the  judge  en 
tered.  And  as  Judge  Bloommaert  was  a  man  who  never 
required  two  lessons  on  any  subject,  he  met  Leonard  with 
great  kindness  and  sympathy;  and  when  the  subject  of  an 
immediate  marriage  was  named  made  no  objections  to 
its  consideration  "  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Bloommaert  was 
present." 

Then  Sappha  went  swiftly  to  her  mother.  She  knelt 
down  by  the  bedside  and  laid  her  head  on  her  mother's 
breast.  "Father  is  home,"  she  whispered,  "and  Leonard! 
Oh,  mother,  mother!  Leonard  has  come  back  to  me!  and 

309 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

CCO<^^0»«=»0»<=»OCO<:=s»CCO«a='000'C=s>C(IO«Zi>«00«5^S'CCO<a=s>0(}0<S=>l>»«;^!>l)<>«=^i:(!08 

he  wants  to  go  with  us  to  England — and  he  wants  to  be 
married  before  we  go.  Mother,  dear,  sweet  mother!  you 
will  agree  with  Leonard?  Yes,  you  will!  Yes,  you  will — 
for  my  sake,  mother." 

"Are  you  dreaming,  Sappha?  How  can  Leonard  be 
here?  Mrs.  Livingston  said  a  few  hours  ago  that  he  was 
in  New  Orleans." 

"  But  he  left  New  Orleans  the  same  day  that  her  letter 
left.  He  could  not  stay  in  New  Orleans  when  he  heard 
we  were  going  to  England.  He  has  travelled  night  and  day, 
and  he  is  still  pale  with  suffering.  You  will  be  sorry  only  to 
see  how  pale  he  is.  We  cannot  be  parted  again;  he  says  it 
will  kill  him — and  father  says  we  may  be  married  if  you 
are  willing.  You  are  willing,  mother?  Yes,  I  know  you 
are.  Say  yes,  dear  mother,  say  yes,  for  Sappha's  sake." 

"  I  will  dress  and  see  Leonard  as  soon  as  possible,  Sappha. 
And  if  your  father  is  willing  for  you  to  marry  at  once,  of 
course  I  shall  agree  with  him.  But  have  you  considered? 
We  sail  in  six  days.  You  have  no  wedding  dress.  The 
house  is  all  topsy-turvy.  Not  a  room  we  can  set  a  table 
in — carpets  up,  curtains  down,  glass  and  silver  all  packed 
away." 

"  Mother,  none  of  these  things  are  at  all  necessary.  It  is 
Leonard,  and  not  carpets  and  glass  and  silver ;  and " 

"Yes,  yes!  I  know!  But  you  must  have  a  decent  gown; 
a  new  gown,  an  old  one  is  unlucky." 

"  Well,  then,  it  can  be  made  in  two  or  three  days — we 
310 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 

have  six  days,  you  know.  Come  and  see  Leonard.  I  am 
sure  you  will  see  how  sensible  he  is." 

Mrs.  Bloommaert  smiled,  rose  quickly  and  began  to  dress. 
"  Go  now  and  look  after  tea.  Make  things  as  nice  as  you  can. 
I  will  be  downstairs  in  half  an  hour." 

"  And  then  you  will  stand  by  Leonard  ?  " 

"  He  has  not  stood  very  well  by  you  the  last  year." 

"  Please  do  not  name  that — do  not  think  of  it.  I  have 
always  told  you  it  was  my  fault." 

"  It  tosses  all  my  plans  upside  down,  Sappha.  I  expected 
to  have  you  with  me  in  all  my  pleasures.  I  shall  have  to 
wander  about  London  alone,  and  I  shall  have  no  lovely 
daughter  to  introduce.  Oh,  'tis  a  great  disappointment  to 
me!" 

"  We  shall  be  together,  mother.  It  will  be  all  the  same, 
and  you  will  have  Leonard  also." 

"  My  dear,  Leonard  will  want  you  all  the  time.  I  know. 
He  will  grudge  for  any  one  to  breathe  the  air  of  the  same 
room  with  you — but  if  you  are  happy,  father  and  I  must  be 
content  without  you." 

"  It  will  not  be  like  that,  mother.    You  will  see." 

"  Yes,  fathers  and  mothers  all  see.  Suppose  now  you  go 
and  tell  the  women  in  the  kitchen  to  get  us  something  to 
eat.  We  shall  all  be  more  amiable  if  we  have  the  teacups 
before  us." 

The  discussion,  however,  was  amiable  enough.  Judge 
Bloommaert  had  not  watched  his  daughter  for  a  year  with- 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


out  coming  to  a  very  clear  diagnosis  of  the  conditions  that 
alone  would  give  her  happiness;  and  he  had  plenty  of  that 
wisdom  which  knows  the  art  of  turning  the  inevitable  into 
the  thing  most  desirable.  The  hour  had  come.  Sappha  had 
waited  with  a  beautiful  patience  for  it;  he  was  resolved  to 
give  her  its  joy,  fully  and  freely,  and  without  any  hold 
back. 

"  Carlita,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  mutual  greetings  were 
over,  "  Carlita,  Leonard  wishes  to  marry  Sappha  at  once, 
and  go  with  us  to  England.  I  think  it  is  a  good  plan.  What 
say  you  ?  " 

"  I  think  with  you  always,  Gerardus." 

"  Such  hurry  will  only  admit  of  a  very  simple  wedding 
ceremony,  but  Leonard  says  that  is  what  Sappha  and  he 
prefer ;  and  as  it  is  their  marriage,  they  have  a  right  of  choice. 
Eh,  Leonard?" 

"  As  you  say,  sir.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Livingston  will  repre 
sent  my  friends,  and  if  Sappha's  nearest  relatives  are  wit 
nesses  the  company  will  be  of  the  proper  size.  Why  should 
we  ask  half  of  New  York  to  gaze  at  the  most  sacred  and 
private  of  all  domestic  events?  " 

"  Well,  then,  we  will  let  it  be  so.  Can  you  arrange 
for  such  a  wedding,  Carlita — say  on  the  morning  of  the  day 
we  leave?  " 

"  I  can  do  my  best,  Gerardus." 

"  The  packet  sails  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I 
suppose  the  marriage  could  take  place  at  twelve." 

312 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


"  Better  say  at  ten  o'clock,  Gerardus.  We  shall  need 
time  to  change  our  dresses  and  pack  up  the  last  things." 

"  True.  Then,  Leonard,  we  will  say  ten  o'clock  next 
Wednesday.  Is  that  right  ?" 

"  If  Sappha  and  Mrs.  Bloommaert  say  so.  I  suppose  it 
cannot  be  Saturday  or  Monday?  " 

"  Impossible,"  answered  Mrs.  Bloommaert.  "  There  is 
a  wedding  dress  to  make." 

"  Sappha  has  plenty  of  pretty  dresses." 

"  She  has  not,  however,  a  wedding  dress.  She  cannot  be 
married  without  one." 

"  Then  perhaps  it  ought  to  be  bought  to-night.  There  is 
plenty  of  time  yet." 

"  In  the  morning  will  do." 

"  If  it  should  not  be  ready  -  " 

"  I  will  attend  to  that,"  said  Mrs.  Bloommaert,  and  her 
manner  was  not  only  confident,  but  final  on  the  subject. 

"  I  must  go  out  for  an  hour  after  tea,  but  when  I  return 
we  can  talk  over  a  few  business  points,"  said  the  judge  to 
Leonard;  and  the  young  man  was  so  elated  and  happy  he 
only  smiled  ;  he  could  say  neither  yes  nor  no  ;  everything 
had  slipped  from  his  consciousness  but  the  joy  of  being  near 
Sappha,  of  seeing  her  face,  of  hearing  her  speak,  and  feeling 
the  clasp  of  her  hand  within  his  own. 

Then  when  the  judge  had  gone  Mrs.  Bloommaert  said  to 
Sappha:  "I  have  a  letter  to  write  to  your  grandmother; 
a  very  important  letter,  and  I  shall  have  to  pick  my  thoughts, 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  choose  my  words,  and  that  is  a  thing  I  cannot  do  if  you 
and  Leonard  are  whispering  behind  me.  Go  into  the  other 
parlour,  and  make  your  little  arrangements  there." 

Very  willingly  they  obeyed,  and  the  sight  of  the  piano 
was  enough  to  raise  the  spirit  of  melody  in  Leonard's  heart. 
"  Let  us  sing  one  song  together,  dearest,"  he  said,  and  Sappha 
found  the  key  of  the  locked  instrument,  while  Leonard 
searched  among  the  piled  music  sheets  for  some  song  fit  for 
the  happy  hour. 

"  Love's  Maytime,"  he  cried.  "  That  sounds  well."  And 
he  stooped  and  kissed  her  as  she  seated  herself.  Their  heads 
bent  toward  each  other,  they  were  radiant  with  the  most 
transporting  love  and  their  hearts  ravished  with  the  bliss 
of  their  reunion. 

"  Sing,  my  love,  and  sadden  me  into  deeper  joy,"  whis 
pered  Leonard;  and  soft  and  low  to  the  simple  melody 
Sappha  sang: 

"We  two  will  see  the  springtime  still 

In  days  with  autumn  rife; 
When  wintry  winds  blow  bleak  and  chill 
And  we  near  the  bourne  of  life. 

"For  love  is  ever  young  and  kind, 

And  love  will  with  us  stay 
Till  we  in  Life's  December  find 
A  path  of  endless  May." 

—  Louis  Ledoux. 

Leonard  caught  the  melody  quickly,  and  Mrs.  Bloom- 
maert  stopped  her  writing  to  listen.  "  Their  voices  are  like 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


one,"  she  thought.  "  They  are  happy,  they  may  be  more 
so,  but  '  a  path  of  endless  May  '  is  asking  a  great  deal  ; 
and  yet,  as  we  grow  old  and  unbeautiful,  the  thought  of  end 
less  life,  and  endless  youth,  and  endless  love,  and  endless 
May  helps  to  make  grey  hair  and  failing  strength  bearable. 
What  was  it  I  heard  Rose  singing  last  night?  Something 
of  the  same  kind  —  some  Methodist  hymn  about  endless 
spring  : 

"There    everlasting    spring    abides 
And  never  fading  flowers." 

"  Yes,  everlasting  spring  would  bring  endless  May,  but 
I  wish  they  would  not  now  sing  about  it,  the  music  inter 
feres,  I  cannot  write  my  letter,  and  if  madame  is  not  im 
mediately  informed  of  the  marriage  she  will  be  offended." 
Yet  she  did  not  silence  the  music.  She  understood  that  for 
the  lovers  the  world  was  just  then  revolving  in  Paradise, 
and  that  music  is  the  language  of  Paradise.  So  she  erased, 
and  wrote  over,  and  finally  finished  with  an  apology  for 
all  her  mistakes. 

Very  soon  the  judge  returned,  and  when  he  had  lit  his 
pipe  he  called  Leonard  to  join  him;  and  they  sat  down 
together  and  talked  of  their  intended  voyage.  "  It  is  a 
purely  business  visit  to  England  as  far  as  I  am  concerned," 
said  the  judge,  "  but  we  intend  to  be  seen  and  to  see  ;  for 
there  are  many  Americans  in  London  at  present,  and  with 
some  of  them  I  am  familiar.  May  I  ask,  Leonard,  what  is 

315 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 

«0<s^^o»<:sr>o»«rs»ooo<sr!3«oo<2=='«oo<i=»oco<a^>occ<3r=>oco<^3>«oo-=ir=»3>-iiii>oj<=^s>cco 

taking  you  across  the  Atlantic  at  this  time?     Is  Sappha  en 
tirely  accountable?  " 

"  Not  quite,  sir,"  Leonard  answered.  "  Sooner  or  later 
this  year  I  must  have  gone  to  Scotland  to  fulfil  my 
father's  last  charge  to  me."  No  one  questioned  this  remark, 
and  Leonard  continued :  "  After  the  defeat  at  Sheriffmuir 
my  great-grandfather  found  himself  on  the  brink  of  ruin. 
His  clan  had  virtually  perished,  and  he  had  given  his  last 
sovereign  to  The  Cause.  Emigration  was  all  that  remained 
and  he  was  the  more  eager  for  this  outlet  when  he  learned 
that  his  name  was  on  the  list  of  the  proscribed  chiefs,  and  his 
life  in  danger.  He  went  to  the  Earl  of  Moray,  who  had 
not  been  '  out,'  and  sold  his  estate  to  him  on  these  con 
ditions:  To  the  third  generation  it  was  to  be  redeem 
able;  but  if  not  then  ransomed  it  might  be  sold,  though 
only  to  a  purchaser  bearing  the  name  of  Murray.  My 
father  hoped  to  be  the  saviour  of  the  place,  but  he  died  be 
fore  the  investments  made  for  this  purpose  had  grown  to 
sufficient  increase.  On  his  deathbed  he  solemnly  left  this 
duty  to  my  management;  and  I  vowed  to  him  to  fulfil 
every  obligation  to  the  last  tittle.  I  now  find  myself  able 
to  honour  my  pledge,  and  I  am  going  to  Scotland  to 
do  it." 

"  That  is  right,"  said  the  judge.     "  Where  is  this  estate?  " 

"  In  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  north  of  Inverness.    It  is 

a  romantic  country,  and  I  expect  great  pleasure  from  the 

journey;  especially  as  I  hope  now  that  Sappha  may  go  with 

316 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


with  me ;  but  we  can  decide  that  question  when  we  are  closer 
to  it." 

"Certainly.  You  intend  then  to  buy  back  the  estate? 
Will  that  be  of  any  advantage  to  you?  " 

"  Not  financially — just  yet.  But  I  have  great  faith  'in 
the  future  of  land." 

"  What  will  you  do  with  it?    Rent  it?  " 

"  No.  The  few  Murrays  yet  remaining  there  would  re 
sent  a  stranger  over  them.  I  shall  leave  the  oldest  of  the 
clan  guardian  of  the  place.  The  land  will  not  run  away. 
The  house  is  built  of  immense  blocks  of  granite,  and  may 
stand  a  thousand  years.  In  time  I  shall  find  a  profitable  use 
for  both  house  and  land — one  can  always  trust  land." 

This  subject  naturally  brought  to  discussion  a  home  in 
New  York,  and  the  judge  said,  "  As  the  Government  House 
is  on  the  point  of  being  pulled  down,  I  shall  buy  a  lot  on 
the  south  of  the  Bowling  Green  and  build  a  handsome 
dwelling  on  it  for  Sapphira.  Like  you,  Leonard,  I  have 
faith  in  land.  When  this  part  of  the  city  ceases  to  be  soci 
ally  desirable  it  will  become  commercially  valuable;  and 
commerce  pays  good  rentage." 

It  was  near  midnight  when  all  subjects  growing  out  of 
this  sudden  change  of  intentions  had  been  discussed ;  and  the 
days  that  followed  were  days  of  hurry  and  happiness.  But 
every  one  entered  so  heartily  into  the  joyful  girl's  marriage 
that  nothing  was  belated  or  neglected,  and  on  the  evening 
before  the  desired  day  there  was  time  for  all  to  sit  down 

317 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


and  arrange  the  final  ceremonies.  It  was  then  that  Leonard 
put  into  Sappha's  hand,  as  he  bid  her  good-night,  the  beaute 
ous  gift  which  is  yet  worn  by  her  great-granddaughter. 
With  a  kiss  and  a  blessing  he  put  it  into  her  hand,  and  she 
took  it  into  the  lighted  parlour  to  examine.  It  was  addressed 
only 

"  To  Sapphira,  Sapphires" 

and  when  the  cover  of  the  box  was  removed  she  discovered 
a  necklace  of  those  exquisite  Asteria  sapphires  which  have 
in  the  centre  of  their  heavenly  blue  opalescence  a  star  of  six 
rays.  The  judge  had  already  seen  them.  He  said  Leonard 
had  bought  them  from  a  Creole  jeweller  in  New  Orleans, 
and  that  they  had  once  belonged  to  a  beautiful  princess  of 
Ceylon. 

But  whatever  their  history,  never  had  they  clasped  the 
throat  of  a  lovelier  woman  than  Sapphira  Bloommaert  on 
the  day  of  her  wedding.  The  little  company  invited  were 
gathered  in  the  ordinary  sitting-room  of  her  father's  house, 
but  the  June  sunshine  flooded  gloriously  the  homelike  place; 
and  Annette,  who  had  been  freely  forgiven,  had  made  it  a 
bower  of  white  roses.  On  the  hearthstone  stood  the  domine, 
and  the  bride's  mother  and  grandmother  were  on  either  side 
of  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Livingston,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris, 
Annette  and  Achille,  Peter  and  his  betrothed,  Josette  Ge- 
naud,  were  the  witnesses. 

It  was  on  her  father's  arm  the  lovely  Sapphira  entered. 
Every  one  instinctively  felt  her  approach  ;  conversation  ceased, 

318 


THE    STAR    OF    PEACE 


laughter  was  hushed,  all  were  at  pleased  attention  when 
they  heard  the  light  footsteps  and  the  gentle  rustling  of  the 
silk  wedding  gown.  A  kind  of  radiance  came  in  with  her; 
came  from  her  tall  bright  beauty,  from  the  glow  in  her  eyes, 
from  her  fresh,  sweet  face,  from  the  warm  lights  about  her 
shining  hair,  and  the  scintillating  glory  of  the  gems  around 
her  white  neck.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  perfect  white  rose, 
and  either  of  design  or  by  some  fortunate  accident  she 
stood  exactly  on  the  spot  where  she  had  parted  from  Leon 
ard  with  the  rejected,  scattered  rose  between  them.  But 
true  love  knows  not  rejection;  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  it 
returns  to  its  own;  it  cannot  retain  a  memory  of  offence 
for  ever  and  ever;  it  not  only  gives,  but  forgives. 

Three  hours  after  the  ceremony  the  Bloommaert  house 
hold  were  on  their  way  to  England,  and  Peter  had  charge  of 
the  house  on  the  Bowling  Green.  "  We  shall  be  back  in 
the  fall  of  the  year,"  the  judge  said  to  his  son,  "  for  I  have 
much  to  attend  to  in  New  York  this  coming  winter." 

The  judge  kept  his  promise,  but  Leonard  and  Sappha  did 
not  return  with  him.  Sappha  had  accompanied  her  hus 
band  to  Scotland,  and  after  his  mission  to  the  Highlands 
had  been  accomplished  they  lingered  a  while  in  Edinburgh. 
Here  they  met  an  old  acquaintance  who  was  going  to  Hol 
land  and  Belgium,  and  they  went  with  him  to  these  coun 
tries.  Then,  the  wander-fever  being  still  upon  Leonard, 
they  travelled  southward  to  France  and  Italy,  returning 

3-9 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


to  England  by  the  usual  tourist  route  through  Switzerland. 
And,  as  at  that  day  the  facilities  for  travel  were  small,  and  its 
difficulties  and  hindrances  for  travel  many  and  perplexing, 
it  was  more  than  a  year  before  they  again  reached  London, 
and  turned  their  faces  westward  and  homeward. 

Homeward!  The  word  tasted  sweet  in  Sappha's  mouth. 
She  said  it  over  and  over,  and  the  first  sight  of  the  open  arms 
of  the  low-lying  American  shore  brought  happy  tears  to  her 
eyes.  The  Bowling  Green  at  last!  After  so  many  strange 
lands,  after  so  many  wonderful  days  in  the  old,  old  world, 
here  was  the  fresh  young  world,  with  all  its  splendid  hopes 
again !  The  flag  they  loved,  the  homes  they  knew,  the  people 
who  belonged  to  them — these  things  were  best  of  all ;  dearest 
of  all  were  the  contentful  sum  of  all  their  future  hopes  and 
desires.  The  great  cities,  the  fairest  spots  in  Europe,  were 
now  only  as  picture  books  and  memories;  but  Home,  Sweet 
Home  was  on  Bowling  Green. 


320 


CHAPTER 
ELEVEN 


Afterward 


i 


lt=-—  -*9F  any  of  my  readers  believe  marriage  to  be 
the  completion  and  consummation  of  individ- 
ual  life,  they  will  be  willing  to  consider  the 
story   of   Sapphira   finished   when   she   mar- 
Leonard  Murray.     But  if  they  rather 


believe  it  to  be  the  open  portal  to  a  grander  and  wider 
life,  they  will  find  the  few  following  pages  a  sufficient  index 
to  a  future  which  they  can  unfold  and  amplify  from  their  own 
knowledge  and  experience.  So  that  I  need  only  say  that 
when  Sapphira  Murray  entered  the  beautiful  home  which  her 
father  built  for  her  on  the  south  side  of  the  Bowling  Green 
she  could  have  had  no  dream  of  its  future  destiny.  She  dwelt 
there  in  sweet  contentment  for  many  years,  and  died  in  its 
lofty  front  chamber  just  before  the  war  of  1860.  Leonard 
Murray  did  not  long  survive  his  beloved  wife.  He  wan 
dered  disconsolately  around  the  Green,  or  strolled  slowly  in 
the  Battery  Park  for  a  few  months,  and  was  then  laid  beside 
her  in  that  aristocratic  little  graveyard  on  Second  Street, 
which,  though  surrounded  by  the  tumult  of  the  city,  keeps  to 
this  day  its  flowery  seclusion. 

With  the  removal  of  these  well-known  figures  the  Bowl- 
321 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


ing  Green  suffered  a  distinct  social  loss;  and  when  Stephen 
Whitney,  who  was  a  near  neighbour  of  the  Murrays,  died 
in  1  86  1,  the  prestige  of  its  wealth  departed,  for  Mr.  Whit 
ney  was  the  richest  man  in  New  York,  with  the  exception 
of  some  members  of  the  Astor  family.  From  that  date  the 
Bowling  Green  began  to  assume  a  business  character,  and 
the  homes  of  the  Bloommaerts  and  Murrays  no  longer 
sheltered  their  descendants.  Lawrence  Bloommaert,  the 
son  of  Captain  Christopher  Bloommaert,  remained  a  while 
in  the  house  of  his  grandfather,  Judge  Gerardus  Bloom 
maert,  but  his  family  were  all  girls,  and  they  married  and 
scattered  through  the  Madison  Square  district,  and  even 
still  further  north.  Leonard  and  Sapphira's  three  sons  had 
fine  homes  in  the  Murray  Hill  locality,  and  their  only 
daughter  Sapphira,  who  had  married  the  eldest  son  of  Peter 
Bloommaert,  was  in  189  —  living  in  a  spacious  mansion  on 
the  Riverside  Drive.  She  was  born  in  1827,  and  therefore 
at  the  period  of  these  reminiscences  nearing  seventy  years  of 
age.  But  she  still  kept  the  dew  of  her  youth,  and  her  chil 
dren  and  children's  children  filled  her  splendid  home  with 
the  living  splendour  of  youth  and  beauty  and  affection. 

She  was  sitting  alone  one  night  in  the  fall  of  189  —  .  She 
looked  a  little  weary,  her  figure  drooped  slightly,  her  hands 
lay  as  motionless  as  if  they  were  asleep  ;  but  there  was  a  flush 
of  excitement  on  her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  were  full  of  dreams. 
She  was  seeing  with  them,  but  seeing  nothing  within  their 
physical  horizon.  They  had  backward  vision  at  this  hour, 

322 


AFTERWARD 


und  she  smiled  faintly  at  the  scenes  they  flashed  before  her 
memory. 

In  a  short  time  the  door  was  nosielessly  opened,  and  a 
much  younger  woman  entered.  She  came  toward  the  elder 
one  with  a  slow,  easy  grace,  and  taking  her  passive  hands 
between  her  own  said  :  "  Mother,  you  have  wearied  your 
self.  I  fear  you  have  been  foolish  to-day." 

"  No,  no,  Carlita,"  was  the  quick  response.  "  I  have  had 
a  happy  day.  I  am  glad  I  took  my  desire.  I  did  not  expect 
you.  It  is  a  Faust  night;  why  are  you  not  at  the  opera?  " 

"  The  opera  will  not  miss  me.  Gerard  has  gone  with  the 
little  Van  Sant  girl;  and  of  course  Agatha  Van  Sant  will  be 
present.  I  do  not  suppose  the  conductor  would  lift  his  baton 
until  he  saw  Mrs.  Agatha  Van  Sant  enter  her  box;  then,  he 
would  nod  his  satisfaction,  and  say  with  a  lordly  air,  'Let 
the  opera  commence.'  I  shall  see  enough  of  opera  this  win 
ter;  and  I  want  so  much  to  hear  about  your  expedition. 
What  time  did  you  start?  " 

"About  eleven  o'clock.  Gerard  wanted  to  go  with  me, 
but  1  wished  to  be  alone.  There  was  really  no  danger. 
Dalby  knows  the  city,  and  the  horses  obey  his  word  or  touch. 
I  went  to  my  old  home.  I  was  in  every  room  of  it." 

"  It  must  be  much  changed." 

"  In  accidentals,  yes,  very  much  changed  ;  but  the  large 
sunny  rooms  and  the  grand  seaward  outlook  are  the  same. 
I  went  first  to  the  nursery  on  the  top  story,  and,  Carlita,  I 
could  replace  every  chair  and  table.  I  could  see  James  and 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


Leonard  and  Auguste  busy  with  their  books  and  playthings; 
and  there  was  one  back  window  that  had  a  little  embrasure, 
which  was  very  dear  and  familiar  to  me.  In  that  nook  I 
read  '  Robinson  Crusoe,'  and  the  '  Exiles  of  Siberia,'  and  best 
of  all,  '  The  Arabian  Nights.'  I  sat  down  there  and  tried 
to  recall  the  long,  long,  happy  days  in  which  it  was  my 
favourite  retreat.  I  stood  and  looked  downward  over  the 
balustrade,  and  fancied  I  saw  again  my  beautiful  mother, 
clothed  in  white  and  sparkling  with  gems,  going  out  with 
father  to  some  dinner  or  ball ;  and  I  remembered  how  I  used 
to  thus  watch  for  her  coming,  and  call  her;  and  how  she 
would  stand  still  and  lift  her  face  full  of  love  and  smiles 
to  bid  me  a  '  good-night.'  Once  at  a  little  ceremony  of  this 
kind  I  dropped  her  a  white  rose,  and  she  put  it  in  her  bosom, 
and  my  father  laughed  and  called  me  '  darling  '  and  I  went 
to  bed  that  night  more  happy  than  I  can  tell  you.  I  stayed 
some  time  in  the  nursery,  and  longer  in  my  mother's  room. 
It  had  only  sweet  memories,  for  I  never  went  into  it  with 
out  meeting  a  smile,  no,  not  even  on  that  last  day  of  her 
beautiful  life,  when  she  called  us  all  to  her  side  for  the  long 
farewell.  She  died,  as  I  have  often  told  you,  singing.  She 
had  sung,  more  or  less,  all  her  life  long;  and  she  went  away 
faintly  and  sweetly  singing, 

"  '  Hark,  they  whisper,  angels  say, 
Sister  spirit,  come  away ; ' 

and  after  a  pause,  still  more  softly — 

"'Tell  me,  my  soul,  can  this  be  death?' 
324 


AFTERWARD 


See,  Carlita,  I  brought  some  sprays  from  the  honeysuckle  she 
planted  on  the  seaward  porch.  Though  November,  it  is  in 
bloom.  My  father  put  flowers  from  this  same  vine  in  her 
hands  after  she  was  dead.  It  was  a  lovely,  happy  memory, 
Carlita.  In  a  little  sitting-room  I  found  a  window  pane  on 
which  Annette  St.  Ange  and  my  mother  had  written  their 
names,  enclosing  them  in  a  very  perfect  circle,  and  I  brought 
the  glass  away  with  me.  I  could  not  bear  to  think  that 
some  stranger,  in  the  destruction  of  the  room,  might  perhaps 
tread  the  names  beneath  his  feet." 

"  Grandmother  must  have  loved  Mrs.  St.  Ange?  " 

"  They  were  close  friends,  especially  after  the  disappear 
ance  of  Mr.  St.  Agne." 

"  Mother,  what  was  the  meaning  of  that  disappearance  — 
death?" 

"  People  generally  spoke  of  it  as  death  ;  but  my  father  and 
mother  knew  better;  and  when  Annette  had  passed  beyond 
mortal  care  and  suffering  something  occurred  —  I  think  the 
marriage  of  her  granddaughter  in  Paris  —  that  led  my  mother 
to  tell  me  the  truth.  To-day,  Carlita,  I  saw  Annette  St. 
Ange  again,  though  not  as  I  recollected  her  in  life." 

<!  What  do  you  mean,  mother?  " 

"  I  saw  her  picture  ;  the  one  taken  soon  after  her  marriage, 
and  in  her  marriage  garments  —  I  was  at  the  Loan  Ex 
hibition." 

"Oh,  mother,  why  did  you  not  wait  for  me  to  go  with 


you? 


325 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Well,  my  dear,  the  bit  of  glass  in  my  hand  made  me 
remember  the  exhibit;  and  as  I  had  heard  Gerard  say  the 
Van  Sants  were  going  to  send  some  portraits,  I  suddenly 
resolved  to  visit  the  rooms  and  see  if  Annette  St.  Ange's 
was  among  them.  And  there  I  saw  it  —  very  conspicuously 
placed  also;  a  wonderfully  lovely  presentment  of  a  lovely 
girl." 

"  But  was  it  like  her?" 

"  It  was  not  like  the  Mrs.  St.  Ange  I  remember.  The 
portrait  represented  a  fairylike  beauty,  dainty,  exquisite, 
with  the  bluest  eyes  and  the  palest  golden  hair  imaginable; 
an  air  of  indefinable  coquetry  and  grace;  and  a  slight,  girl 
ish  figure  clothed  in  white  from  head  to  feet.  But  the  Mrs. 
St.  Ange  that  used  to  visit  my  mother  was  very  different. 
She  was  always  in  black,  her  eyes  were  not  pretty  or  expres 
sive,  her  hair  had  lost  all  its  glow,  and  her  slight  figure  be 
came  round  and  heavy.  She  was  also  sad-looking.  I  do  not 
recollect  her  smiling.  She  seemed  full  of  care.  Still  there 
were  points  of  resemblance,  when  you  looked  for  them;  and 
you  may  be  sure  the  bright,  lovely  girl  did  not  become  the 
sad,  hard-looking  woman  without  many  and  long-continued 
trials." 

"  She  ought  not  to  have  married  a  foreigner.  They  do 
not  understand  American  women  ;  and  then  one  or  the  other 
goes  to  the  wall." 

"  In  the  St.  Ange  case,  it  was  Annette.  Her  husband 
was  soft  as  velvet  and  hard  as  iron.  In  some  way  she  lost 

326 


AFTERWARD 


her  grip  of  the  situation,  and  when  men  go  one  step  beyond 
their  right  they  go  too  far.  He  never  said  an  impolite  word 
to  her;  also,  he  ceased  saying  a  loving  word.  She  became 
afraid  of  him,  nervous,  diffident,  and  suspicious.  He  had 
only  to  remark  in  the  blandest  way  that  she  was  losing  her 
fine  manners,  and  she  lost  them.  In  his  presence  she  did 
herself  no  justice.  He  looked  critically  at  her,  slightly 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  she  was  as  awkward  as  he  con 
sidered  her.  In  five  years  no  one  would  have  known  the 
once  sarcastic,  clever,  authoritative  Annette  de  Vries.  She 
had  subsided.  She  was  forgotten  ;  and  she  hardly  knew  how 
to  frame  a  complaint  of  the  way  in  which  this  condition  had 
been  brought  about. 

"  Fortunately,  she  found  some  comfort  in  her  house  and 
her  children,  but  Mr.  St.  Ange  took  no  apparent  interest  in 
either.  It  was  a  lonely  pleasure.  He  was  disappointed  be 
cause  the  three  girls  were  not  three  boys.  He  spent  very 
little  time  in  his  home,  preferring  one  or  other  of  the  clubs 
of  which  he  was  a  member." 

"  I  think  he  was  simply  —  a  brute." 

"  Not  quite  that  —  he  did  not  intend  to  be  brutal.  He  had 
taken  a  distaste  to  Annette.  My  mother  told  me  that  in 
the  days  of  their  first  acquaintance  he  had  periods  of  this 
distaste;  a  kind  of  repulsion  which  was  overcome  by  the  fas 
cination  of  her  great  physical  beauty.  But  the  physical 
beauty  faded,  lost  its  charm,  and  you  can  see,  Carlita,  what 
would  then  happen.  But  he  was  never  rude  or  actively 

327 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


unkind;  and  in  public  he  treated  her  with  marked  atten 
tion  and  respect.  If  Annette  had  complained,  no  one  would 
have  believed  her;  even  her  grandmother  was  sure  in  her 
heart  that  Annette  had  managed  badly  a  very  good  man." 

"  Poor  Annette,  I  am  sorry  for  her." 

"  My  mother  was  sorry  for  her.  She  understood.  My 
mother,  in  matters  of  the  heart,  had  a  sort  of  clairvoyant 
perception;  and  she  never  would  listen  to  any  one  who 
blamed  Annette.  This  kind  of  life  between  Mr.  St.  Ange 
and  his  wife  went  on  for  nearly  ten  years  ;  and  then  one  day 
he  reached  home  in  a  strangely  excited  condition.  He  said 
he  had  received  a  request,  that  was  in  reality  a  command, 
to  return  to  France  and  look  after  the  affairs  of  his  family. 
He  was  going  at  once.  He  expected  to  be  away  at  least  a 
year.  Annette  made  no  objection,  nor  did  she  ask  any 
questions  about  the  business.  She  was  quite  aware  that  all 
inquiries  would  be  answered  only  as  it  suited  her  husband's 
views.  However,  before  he  went  he  made  over  to  her  in 
the  most  absolute  way  every  dollar  he  possessed,  both  in 
property  and  money.  He  said  the  ocean  voyage  was  a  life 
risk  ;  that  he  had  always  been  unfortunate  at  sea,  and  that  he 
-wished  his  wife  to  have  no  difficulty,  in  case  of  his  death,  in 
realising  his  fortune.  He  himself  took  nothing  away  but 
some  changes  of  clothing.  '  If  he  lived  to  reach  Paris  he 
would  have  no  difficulty  concerning  money,'  he  said,  '  and  if 
not  —  the  thing  he  had  done  was  well  done  and  only  an  act 
of  justice.'  And  every  one  thought  his  conduct  beautifully 

328 


AFTERWARD 


thoughtful  and  unselfish.  He  went  away  on  a  night  tide, 
when  no  one  was  aware  of  his  intention,  and  again  people 
said,  '  How  considerate! '  and  Annette  affected  to  agree  with 
them." 

"  Well,  at  least,  she  was  clever.  I  should  have  done  the 
same,  mother.  Did  she  really  grieve  at  his  departure?  " 

"  No.  She  turned  all  her  attention  to  her  money  affairs. 
One  of  her  great  troubles  had  been  Achille's  refusal  to  inter 
fere  in  the  management  of  her  fortune;  or  even  to  permit 
her  to  make  any  change  in  its  disposition,  however  profitable 
such  change  would  be.  '  Your  most  sensible  grandfather 
De  Vries  invested  your  money,  and  neither  you  nor  I  can 
improve  upon  his  financial  foresight,'  was  the  usual  answer. 
But  times  had  changed,  and  Annette  knew  well  that  her  in 
vestments  needed  change  of  the  most  radical  kind.  She 
made  them  without  a  day's  delay.  She  called  to  her  assist 
ance  the  son  of  the  man  who  had  been  her  grandfather's 
lawyer,  and  with  his  advice  speedily  nearly  doubled  her  in 
come.  All  that  Achille  had  left  her  was  closely  secured  in 
real  estate,  and  she  found  in  this  business  such  pleasant  sat 
isfaction,  that  she  regained  much  of  her  beauty  and  old-time 
spirit." 

"  She  had  thrown  off  the  incubus,  mother." 

"  Yes,  and  regained  her  self-appreciation.  Her  lawyer 
praised  her  financial  insight,  her  friends  praised  her  appear 
ance,  she  took  the  reins  of  household  management  again, 
and  held  them  with  such  strict  method  and  discipline  that 

329 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


her  servants,  from  being  the  most  idle  and  insolent  in  the 
city,  became  the  most  respectful  and  obedient." 

"  Did  she  ever  talk  of  her  husband  ?  " 

"  She  never  spoke  of  him  until  the  year  which  Mr.  St. 
Ange  had  named  as  the  period  of  his  absence  was  more  than 
over.  No  word  of  any  kind  had  come  to  her,  and  she  said 
to  my  father,  that  she  expected  none.  Achille  had  told  her 
he  would  be  too  busy  to  write  letters,  and  that  she  must 
accept  '  no  news  '  to  be  '  good  news.'  But  he  had  given  her 
the  address  in  Paris  where  she  might  write  to  him,  if  there 
occurred  anything  worth  writing  about.  My  father  advised 
her  to  write  and  inquire  as  to  the  health  and  welfare  of  Mr. 
St.  Ange,  and  the  date  of  his  probable  return.  Annette  did 
so,  and  after  the  lapse  of  four  months  received  a  short  note 
from  the  lawyer  she  had  addressed,  saying:  'The  ship  in 
which  Monsieur  St.  Ange  sailed  from  New  York  was  lost 
in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  all  on  board  perished.  It  is  pos 
sible,  but  not  likely,  that  Monsieur  St.  Ange  was  picked  up 
by  some  vessel,  whose  course  would  take  her  round  the 
Cape  to  India  or  China,  and  thus  prevent  all  intelligence 
reaching  us  for  a  year  or  two.  Madame  is  advised  to  con 
sider  this  probability,  but  not  to  place  much  hope  upon  it.'  " 

Carlita  laughed  scornfully,  and  her  mother  continued: 
"  Annette  took  the  information  with  a  blank  calmness  ;  no 
one  could  tell  what  her  feelings  were.  She  continued  her 
busy  life  for  three  more  years,  and  then  one  day  a  fashionable 
gentleman,  called  Van  Tienhoven,  visited  her.  In  the  most 

330 


AFTERWARD 


guarded  and  respectful  manner  he  told  her  that  he  had  just 
returned  from  France;  that  while  there  he  had,  through  the 
influence  of  powerful  friends,  visited  the  Court  of  Versailles 
several  times,  and  that  on  two  occasions  he  had  seen  there,  in 
close  attendance  upon  the  King,  Mr.  St.  Ange,  or,  he  added, 
if  not  Mr.  St.  Ange,  the  most  perfect  duplicate  of  that 
gentleman  that  can  be  imagined.  Annette  preserved  her 
composure  until  his  confidence  was  closed,  then  gave  it  an 
unqualified  denial.  She  told  Van  Tienhoven  that  St.  Ange's 
lawyer  had  assured  her  of  the  death  of  her  husband;  and 
begged  him  not  to  give  publicity  to  the  suspicion  that  he  still 
lived.  She  showed  him  how  painful  it  must  be  to  her,  how 
unfortunate  for  her  daughters,  and  she  emphatically  declared 
her  own  belief  in  Mr.  St.  Ange's  death.  He  gave  her  his 
word  of  honour  to  observe  strict  silence  on  the  subject;  and 
the  Van  Tienhovens  are  all  gentlemen.  I  have  no  doubt 
the  promise  of  secrecy  was  kept. 

"  But  Annette  became  restless  and  unhappy,  and  both  her 
grandmother  and  my  father  advised  her  to  go  to  Paris. 
She  went,  taking  with  her  Jonaca,  the  eldest  of  her  daughters, 
who  had  always  been  the  favourite  of  St.  Ange.  In  less 
than  four  months  she  was  in  New  York  again.  She  came 
back  without  Jonaca,  and  dressed  in  the  most  pronounced 
widow's  costume.  She  said  unequivocally  that  her  hus 
band  was  dead,  and  that  she  had  left  Jonaca  at  a  fine  Paris 
ian  school  ;  her  father's  friends  having  strongly  urged  her  to 
do  so,  promising  to  care  well  for  the  girl.  No  one  had  any 

331 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


right  to  doubt  Annette's  statement,  but  mother  told  me 
that  from  the  first  there  was  a  doubt.  It  was  undefined  and 
unspoken,  but  it  permeated  society;  and  Annette  soon  felt  it. 
One  day  after  some  particularly  disagreeable  incident,  she 
came  to  my  mother  and  told  her  what  had  occurred ;  and 
mother  said,  '  Dear,  what  does  it  matter?  You  know  that 
Achille  is  dead,  do  you  not?  '  And  she  answered  in  a  sullen, 
angry  way,  '  Sapphira,  he  is  as  dead  to  me  as  if  he  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  There  is  no  truer  widow  in 
all  America  than  Annette  St.  Ange.  And  then  she  pulled 
the  widow's  veil  from  her  bonnet,  and  the  widow's  cap  from 
her  head,  and  flung  them  with  passionate  scorn  far  from  her. 
What  confidence  followed  this  act  mother  never  fully  told 
me;  but  I  gathered  from  what  she  said  that  she  had  been 
compelled  to  give  up  Jonaca,  who  had  been  placed  in  a  con 
vent  for  proper  education,  and  that  the  interview  with  her 
husband  had  been  extremely  painful.  But  he  kissed  her 
hand  at  the  close  of  the  negotiations,  and  he  sent  servants  in 
magnificent  livery  to  attend  to  her  luggage  and  passports 
and  all  the  other  formalities  of  travel;  and  they  waited  on 
her  as  if  she  was  a  princess,  until  they  saw  her  safely  on  board 
the  American-bound  vessel. 

"  Gradually  I  learned  more  of  this  domestic  tragedy. 
Judge  Bloommaert  told  my  father  and  mother  that  Annette 
was  in  receipt  of  a  large  income  from  France.  Later,  I 
heard  that  the  notes  authenticating  this  income  were  signed 
by  the  Due  de  Massareene.  A  few  years  later  Jonaca  St. 

332 


AFTERWARD 


Ange  was  introduced  to  French  society  of  the  highest  rank, 
and  in  about  half  a  year  we  heard  of  her  marriage  to  the 
Marquis  de  Lauvine.  Annette  was  proud  of  the  alliance, 
and  announced  it  in  all  the  New  York  newspapers." 

"  Now,  mother,  I  begin  to  see  how  it  is  all  the  Van  Sants 
go  to  Paris  '  for  their  luck,'  as  they  say." 

"  You  see  only  in  part.  Annette  never  spoke  plainly  to 
any  one,  unless  it  was  to  my  mother  and  her  lawyer.  Her 
second  daughter,  Clara,  went  to  Paris  in  her  fifteenth  year, 
remained  in  the  convent  two  years,  and  was  then  introduced 
to  society  by  her  sister,  the  Marquise  de  Lauvine.  But  Clara 
refused  all  French  alliances;  she  had  a  child  love  for  George 
Van  Sant,  and  she  came  home  and  married  him.  The  young 
est  daughter,  Annette,  also  went  to  Paris,  and  returned  home 
to  marry  Fayette  Varian.  Their  children  have  all  friends 
in  Paris,  and  some  Americans  wonder  at  the  way  they  suc 
ceed  socially.  To  me  it  is  no  wonder.  The  de  Massareenes 
and  De  Lauvines  are  sensible  of  their  right,  and  rather  proud 
of  their  rich  American  kindred." 

"  I  understand  now,  mother,  why  the  Van  Sants  and 
Varians  still  crown  Annette  St.  Ange  as  the  most  remarkable 
of  women." 

"  She  was  a  remarkable  woman.  My-  father  did  not 
hesitate  to  say  to  my  mother  and  self,  that  she  had  done 
wisely  in  accepting  money  in  place  of  a  very  doubtful  recog 
nition.  You  see  the  marriage  laws  were  uncertain  to  her, 
and  she  knew  well  if  her  husband  was  a  Roman  Catholic 

333 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


that  circumstance  alone  might  invalidate  her  own  mar 
riage." 

"  But  was  he  a  Roman  Catholic?  " 

"  Yes.    Always  had  been,  I  suspect." 

"  Then  I  think  he  was  very  dishonourable,  and  -  " 

"  We  will  not  discuss  that  question.  It  involves  too  many 
of  our  own  kindred.  Madame  Jonaca,  her  grandmother,  her 
uncle,  Judge  Bloommaert,  and  her  Grandfather  de  Vries 
ought  perhaps  not  to  have  taken  the  young  man's  '  conform 
ity  '  for  reality.  That  is  past.  The  atonement  made  was 
very  real  and  lasting.  Immediately  on  her  return  from 
Paris  Annette  bought  a  beautiful  home,  she  had  the  finest 
horses  and  carriages  in  New  York,  and  she  brought  from  far 
and  near  the  very  best  teachers  for  her  daughters.  But  in 
spite  of  this  apparent  extravagance  she  kept  a  strict  account 
of  every  expense,  and  made  every  dollar  earn  its  fullest  per 
centage.  Besides  which,  she  speculated  wisely,  and  was  for 
tunate  in  every  money  transaction  she  touched.  The  Van 
Sants  owe  to  her  prudence  all  the  luxury  they  enjoy  to-day. 
They  do  well  to  praise  her.  I  was  thinking  of  her  bride 
picture,  and  of  the  sad,  sombrely  clothed  woman  I  remem 
bered,  when  you  came  into  the  room.  And  I  had  just  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  her  husband's  withdrawal  was  a  for 
tunate  thing  for  Annette  and  her  daughters." 

"  She  gave  up  all  for  her  children.  She  was  a  good 
woman." 

"  I  do  not  believe  she  would  have  given  up  the  crossing 

334 


AFTERWARD 


of  a  '  t '  if  it  had  not  been  for  her  children.  She  had  spirit 
enough  to  have  fought  every  court  in  France, — when  she 
was  from  under  her  husband's  influence, — but  motherhood 
was  Annette's  passion,  and  if  the  Van  Sants  and  Varians 
knew  Annette  St.  Ange's  true  story  they  would  give  hearty 
thanks  and  praise  to  the  self-effacing  woman  who  chose 
for  them  wealth  and  honour  in  America  rather  than  a  for 
eign  nobility,  with  perhaps  the  bar  sinister  across  it." 

"  I  am  going  to  take  a  good  look  at  Annette  St.  Ange's 
picture  to-morrow,  mother.  I  have  been  rather  worried 
lately  at  our  Gerard's  attentions  to  Clara  Van  Sant,  but  if 
she  has  any  share  in  her  grandmother's  reticent,  self-respect 
ing,  prudent,  far-seeing  nature,  Gerard  has  my  blessing.  He 
can  marry  Clara  to-morrow.  What  have  you  done  with 
that  square  of  glass,  mother?  " 

"  It  is  in  my  desk." 

"  I  would  have  it  fitted  into  one  of  the  windows  in  your 
private  sitting-room." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  suggestion,  Carlita." 

"  I  cannot  help  wondering  at  fate,  or  whatever  you  call 
the  power  that  orders  our  lives.  Here  were  two  women 
brought  up  in  the  same  kind  of  loving,  orderly  homes,  and 
surrounded  by  just  the  same  influences,  and  the  marriage 
of  one  is  a  living  tragedy,  and  the  marriage  of  the  other 
is  a  song  of  love.  How  did  the  difference  come  to 
pass  ?  " 

"  There  were  personal  reasons  in  both  cases  to  account 

335 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


for  the  difference — if  there  was  all  the  dissimilarity  you 
suppose." 

"Was  there  not?" 

"  No ;  my  mother's  song  of  love  had  discords,  and  often 
fell  into  the  minor  key.  No  one  can  tell  in  what  particular 
way  a  man  will  try  the  heart  of  the  woman  that  loves  him. 
My  dear  father  had  some  failings  that  might  have  made  sor 
row  enough,  but  mother  knew  how  to  accept  the  discipline; 
and  in  some  cases  we  are  reaping  the  benefit  this  day,  both 
of  my  father's  foibles  and  my  mother's  wise  acceptance  of 
them." 

"  I  have  always  believed  Grandfather  Murray  to  have 
been  a  nearly  faultless  man." 

"  Under  some  circumstances  his  failings  would  have  been 
virtues ;  but  when  a  man  marries  he  assumes  duties  which  are 
paramount,  and  which  demand  a  sacrifice  of  things  in  them 
selves  innocent  and  even  commendable.  He  had  a  love  for 
travel,  adventure,  and  even  fighting,  that  at  times  became  a 
hunger  that  must  be  satisfied;  and  these  periods  were  often 
of, long  duration,  and  caused  my  mother  infinite  alarm  and 
anxiety.  I  will  only  give  you  two  instances,  and  these  two, 
because  they  are  prominent  factors  in  our  present  life." 

"  One  of  them  is,  of  course,  Castle  Murray  in  Scot 
land?" 

"  Yes.  You  know  the  story  of  its  loss  and  redemption. 
But  that  was  but  the  beginning.  The  old  place  seemed  to 
draw  father  like  a  magnet,  and  he  doubtless  spent  a  great 

336 


AFTERWARD 


deal  of  money  on  its  improvement;  for  he  built  additional 
rooms  and  inaugurated  industries  which  I  believe  are  still 
in  progress." 

"  He  was  making  the  land  valuable,  mother.  Was  not 
that  wise  ?  " 

"  It  did  not  look  like  wisdom  to  my  anxious  mother,  and 
when  my  eldest  brother  James  died  it  looked  still  less  pru 
dent.  But  my  brother  Alexander  was  then  '  Murray  of 
Castle  Murray,'  and  he  was  as  fanatic  as  his  father  and  elder 
brother  had  been.  His  son  David  was  equally  proud  of  the 
old  grey  walls,  and  you  know  how  Gerard  plumes  himself 
on  being  heir  to  the  place." 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but,  mother,  the  Scotch  place  is  now  a  very 
distinctive  and  valuable  property.  You  are  as  proud  as  any 
of  us,  when  the  newspapers  announce  '  Mr.  Gerard  Murray 
and  a  party  of  friends  en  route  to  Castle  Murray,  his  ances 
tral  home  in  the  Scotch  Highlands,  for  the  shooting  season.' 
And  the  years  Gerard  does  not  himself  go  there  he  rents  the 
place  for  an  almost  incredible  sum  to  some  rich  American  or 
Englishman.  I  am  sure  we  should  miss  the  money,  as  well 
as  the  distinction,  Murray  Castle  brings  us  if  it  was  no  longer 
ours.  For  my  part,  I  think  my  Grandfather  Murray  did  a 
very  wise  thing  in  buying  back  and  renovating  the  old  home. 
I  do  believe  it  will  prove  one  of  his  best  speculations." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  your  faith,  Carlita ;  and  you  must  remem 
ber,  I  am  now  giving  you  instances  of  good  results  from 
your  grandfather's  wandering  fever.  For  you  know  wherever 

337 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


he  went  the  lust  for  land  went  with  him.  He  had  also  the 
strangest  instinct  concerning  its  value.  In  some  occult  way 
he  divined  the  fortune  of  land,  just  as  some  fishermen  point 
out  to  the  fleet  of  boats  exactly  where  the  school  of  herring 
swim,  though  no  ripple  on  the  water  and  no  shimmer  of  the 
fish  show  to  the  ordinary  eye  —  or,  as  I  myself  have  seen,  a 
man  step  out  from  his  comrades  and  say  '  You  may  dig 
here,  there  is  water  beneath  our  feet.'  In  some  such  way, 
your  grandfather  could  pick  out  the  corners  of  certain  streets, 
and  even  plots  and  parcels  of  unplanted  lands,  as  future 
desirable  locations." 

"  I  do  wish,  mother,  such  an  instinct  was  hereditary,  and 
that  it  had  come  my  road." 

"  It  was  a  special  gift,  and  perhaps  was  allied  to  the 
second-sight  that  was  not  uncommon  among  his  people.  I 
was  going  to  tell  you  that  about  1850  he  went  to  New 
Orleans.  He  had  property  there,  and  always  kept  it,  my 
mother  thought,  because  it  gave  him  a  plausible  excuse  for  a 
journey  when  he  could  find  no  other.  Well,  on  this  jour 
ney  he  met,  in  New  Orleans,  General  Sam  Houston.  The 
two  men  loved  each  other  on  sight,  and  your  grandfather 
went  back  with  him  to  Texas.  He  was  infatuated  with  the 
country.  He  wrote  mother  the  most  extravagant  love  let 
ters,  all  inspired  by  the  skies,  and  the  prairies,  the  wonderful 
sunshine,  the  intoxicating  atmosphere,  and  the  seas  of  flowers 
nodding,  even  at  his  bridle  reins.  And  my  dear  mother 
affected  an  equal  enthusiasm;  she  told  him  to  enjoy  the  trip 

338 


AFTERWARD 

>cco-.s=>«flo<==>c«a<s=s>wie<=««c 

in  all  its  fulness — not  to  hurry  home.  She  assured  him  all 
was  well — and  that  she  was  able  to  manage  affairs  a  little 
longer  without  him." 

"  I  suppose  she  knew  that  he  would  stay  until  the  fever  of 
wandering  had  exhausted  itself?" 

"  Perhaps  she  did;  but  even  if  so,  her  sympathy  made  him 
more  happy.  He  remained  in  Texas  nearly  a  year,  and,  of 
course,  bought  land  there.  Some  of  this  land  has  been  very 
advantageously  turned  into  cash;  but  there  was  one  tract  he 
would  never  part  with.  To  be  sure,  no  one  seemed  to  want 
it;  and  I  have  heard  Texans  who  came  to  our  house — where 
they  were  always  welcome — ask  him  what  motive  he  had  in 
buying  land  so  valueless.  He  always  laughed  a  little,  and 
said,  '  It  was  a  fancy  of  his.'  Then  they  would  laugh, 
and  tell  him  that  '  he  was  rich  enough  to  buy  a  fancy.'  All 
the  same,  it  was  easy  to  see  they  thought  either  that  my 
father  had  been  cheated  or  else  that  he  was  a  mighty  poor 
judge  of  land  and  localities.  But  nothing  altered  his  opin 
ion  of  the  Texas  property,  and  he  took  a  promise  both  from 
my  brothers  and  myself  that  we  would  not  sell  it  for  fifty 
years.  Well,  Carlita,  you  know  how  it  turned  out?  " 

"  Mother !  You  mean  the  oil  lands  ?  Good  gracious ! 
How  could  grandfather  know?  There  was  no  oil  found 
below  ground  in  his  day — how  could  he  know  ?  " 

"  So  you  see,  though  mother  had  these  periods  of  loneli 
ness  and  trial,  we  are  reaping  their  harvest;  and  I  am  sure 
she  is  glad  of  it." 

339 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Grandfather  was  a  strange  '  mixture  of  the  elements  '  ;  so 
shrewd  and  worldly-wise,  and  yet  so  romantic." 

"  You  may  add  sentiment  to  the  romance.  When  he  first 
entered  Castle  Murray  he  saw  it  exactly  as  it  had  been  left. 
No  one  had  touched  anything.  The  old  chief's  chair,  as  he 
pushed  it  from  the  table  when  he  had  eaten  his  last  meal  in 
the  home  he  was  leaving,  remained  just  at  the  angle  taken  ;  a 
half-bottle  of  usquebaugh  and  an  unbroken  glass  stood  on 
the  bare  oak  table.  The  dust  of  generations  lay  an  inch 
thick,  and  on  the  hearthstone  were  a  few  remnants  of  half- 
burnt  wood.  These  remnants  your  grandfather  carefully 
gathered,  and  when  the  first  fire  in  the  Bowling  Green  house 
was  lit  they  kindled  it.  But  no  one  who  ever  saw  Leonard 
Murray  buying  or  selling  land  would  have  dreamed  that  he 
had  room  in  his  heart  for  a  bit  of  sentiment  like  that." 

"  I  have  heard  him  called  a  shrewd,  hard  man." 

"  I  know.  Listen  again.  You  have  complained  of  the 
superabundance  of  white  roses  at  our  old  country  home  up 
the  river?  " 

"  Well,  mother,  they  are  absurdly  out  of  proportion.  They 
cover  walls  and  fences  and  over-run  the  garden,  and  ought 
to  give  place,  in  part,  to  other  flowers." 

"  Not  while  I  live.  My  mother  and  father  carefully 
reared  the  first  growth  from  the  seeds  of  one  white  rose, 
which  in  some  way  was  vitally  connected  with  their  love. 
There  was  a  quarrel,  and  my  mother  rejected  the  rose;  and 
father  kept  it,  and  then  after  they  were  married  they  planted 

340 


AFTERWARD 


the  seed,  and  watched  and  nourished  it,  until  it  became  a 
tree  bearing  white  roses.  From  slips  of  that  tree  the  garden 
has  been  garlanded  with  roses.  I  do  not  wish  it  changed, 
until  you  have  put  the  last  earthly  rose  in  my  cold  hands." 

"  Dear  mother!    Dear  mother!  " 

They  talked  over  these  incidents  until  Gerard  returned; 
and  then  as  they  took  some  slight  refreshment  together  fell 
into  speculations  concerning  the  past  and  present  Bowling 
Green.  Gerard  was  sympathetic  with  its  past,  but  enthu 
siastic  as  to  its  future.  And  when  Mrs.  Bloommaert  spoke 
feelingly  of  the  dignified  men  who  in  early  days  had  been 
the  familiar  figures  on  its  pleasant  sidewalks,  Gerard 
answered : 

"  Dear  auntie,  these  dignified  old  merchants  in  breeches 
and  beavers  and  fine  lawn  ruffles  have  most  worthy  suc 
cessors  in  the  clean-shaved  men  of  to-day,  sensibly  clothed 
from  their  soft  hats  to  their  comfortably  low-cut  shoes. 
Would  it  not  be  delightful  to  show  some  of  these  old,  dig 
nified  merchants  over  the  new  Bowling  Green?  Take  them 
through  Nassau  Street  and  way  up  Broadway?  I  think 
they  would  need  all  the  training  they  have  been  having  since 
they  died  to  bear  it." 

"  You  ought  not  to  speak  so  lightly  of  the  future  life, 
Gerard." 

"  Auntie,  your  pardon !  But  do  you  think  that  only  the 
incarnated  improve  ?  May  not  the  de-incarnated  be  progress 
ing  also  ?  " 

341 


THE    BELLE    OF    BOWLING    GREEN 


"  Of  that  condition  I  have  no  knowledge ;  but  we  all 
know  that  the  first  builders  of  New  York  had  the  hard  part. 
They  laid  the  foundation  of  all  that  has  been  done." 

"  All  right,  aunt ;  but  the  men  of  to-day  have  built  well 
and  loftily  on  their  foundation.  If  they  could  see  the 
Bowling  Green  to-day,  and  the  magnificent  commercial  city 
of  which  it  is  the  centre — if  they  could  see  the  elevated  roads, 
the  motor  cars,  the  railways,  telegraphs,  and  ocean  cable 
service  and  all  the  rest  of  our  business  facilities,  I  am  sure 
they  would  have  no  words  for  their  astonishment  and 
delight." 

"  Well,  children,  I  have  lived  a  long  time  to-day.  I  be 
long  to  the — past.  I  am  tired.  Good-night,  Gerard." 

"  Good-night,  aunt.  Dream  of  the  past,  but  be  sure  that 
however  enterprising,  energetic,  patriotic,  and  far-seeing  those 
old-time  New  Yorkers  were,  there  is  just  as  much  enterprise 
and  energy,  just  as  much  patriotism  and  prudence,  with  the 
New  Yorkers  of  to-day,  for 

"  The  bold  brave  heart  of  New  York 
Still  beats  on  the  Bowling  Green ! " 


THE  END 


342 


POPULAR  COPYRIGHT  BOOKS 

AT    M  OD  E  RATE       Any  of  the  folio  win  g  titles  can  be  bought  of  your 
PRICES  Bookseller  at  the  price  you  paid  for  this  volume 

Adventures  of  Captain  Kettle.      Cutcliffe  Hyne. 

Adventures  of  Gerard.    A.  Conan  Doyle. 

Adventures  of  Sherlock  Holmes.      A.  Conan  Doyle. 

Alton  of  Somasco.      Harold  Bindloss. 

Arms  and  the  Woman.       Harold  MacGrath. 

Artemus  Ward's  Works   (extra  illustrated). 

At  the  Mercy  of  Tiberius.    Augusta  Evans  Wilson. 

Battle  Ground,  The.    Ellen  Glasgow. 

Belle  of  Bowling  Green,  The.      Amelia  E.  Barr. 

Ben  Blair.    Will  Lillibridge. 

Bob,  Son  of  Battle.    Alfred  Ollivant. 

Boss,  The.    Alfred  Henry  Lewis. 

Brass  Bowl,  The.    Louis  Joseph  Vance. 

Brethren,  The.    H.  Rider  Haggard. 

By  Snare  of  Love.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 

By  Wit  of  Woman.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 

Cap'n  Erie.    Joseph  C.  Lincoln. 

Captain  in  the  Ranks,  A.    George  Gary  Eggleston. 

Cardigan.    Robert  W.  Chambers. 

Casting  Away  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine.     Frank  R. 

Stockton. 
Circle,  The.    Katherine  Cecil  Thurston  (author  of  "The  Mas- 

querader,"  "The  Gambler"). 
Conquest  of  Canaan,  The.    Booth  Tarkington. 
Courier  of  Fortune,  A.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 
Darrow  Enigma,  The.     Melvin  Severy. 
Deliverance,  The.     Ellen  Glasgow. 
Exploits  of  Brigadier  Gerard.    A.  Conan  Doyle. 
Fighting  Chance,  The.    Robert  W.  Chambers. 
For  a  Maiden  Brave.     Chauncey  C.  Hotchkiss. 
For  Love  or  Crown.     Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 
Fugitive  Blacksmith,  The.    Charles  D.  Stewart. 
Heart's  Highway,  The.    Mary  E.  Wilkins. 
Holladay  Case,  The.     Burton  Egbert  Stevenson. 
Hurricane  Island.    H.  B.  Marriott- Watson. 
Indifference  of  Juliet,  The.    Grace  S.  Richmond. 
Infelice.    Augusta  Evans  Wilson. 
In  the  Name  of  a  Woman.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 
Lady  Betty  Across  the  Water.  C.  N.  and  A.  M.  Williamson. 
Lane  That  Had  No  Turning,  The.    Gilbert  Parker. 
Leavenworth  Case,  The.     Anna  Katharine  Green. 
Lilac  Sunbonnet,  The.    S.  R.  Crockett. 
Lin  McLean.    Owen  Wister. 
Long  Night,  The.    Stanley  J.  Weyman. 
Maid  at  Arms,  The.    Robert  W.  Chambers. 
Man  from  Red  Keg,  The.     Eugene  Thwing. 

A.  L.  BURT  CO.,  Publishers,  52-58  Ouane  St.,  N«w  York  Gtty 


POPULAR  COPYRIGHT  BOOKS 

AT    MODERATE       Any  of  the  following  titles  can  be  bought  of  your 
PRICES  Bookseller  at  the  price  you  paid  for  this  volume 

Marathon  Mystery,  The.     Burton  Egbert  Stevenson. 

Memoirs  of  Sherlock  Holmes.  A.  Conan  Doyle. 

Millionaire  Baby,  The.     Anna  Katharine  Green. 

Missourian,  The.     Eugene  P.  Lyle,  Jr. 

My  Friend  the  Chauffeur.    C.  N.  and  A.  M.  Williamson. 

My  Lady  of  the  North.     Randall  Parrish. 

Mystery  of  June  13th.     Melvin  L.  S  every. 

Mystery  Tales.     Edgar  Allen  Poe. 

Nancy  Stair.     Elinor  Macartney  Lane. 

None  But  the  Brave.    Hamblen  Sears. 

Order  No.  11.    Caroline  Abbot  Stanley. 

Pam.     Bettina  von  Hutten. 

Pam  Decides.     Bettina  von  Hutten. 

Partners  of  the  Tide.    Joseph  C.  Lincoln. 

Phra  the  Phoenician.     Edwin  Lester  Arnold. 

President,  The.    Alfred  Henry  Lewis. 

Princess  Passes,  The.    C.  N.  and  A.  M.  Williamson. 

Private  War,  The.    Louis  Joseph  Vance. 

Prodigal  Son,  The.    Hall  Caine. 

Queen's  Advocate,  The.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 

Quickening,  The.     Francis  Lynde. 

Richard  the  Brazen.      Cyrus  Townsend  Brady  and  Edward 

Peple. 

Rose  of  the  World.    Agnes  and  Egerton  Castle. 
Sarita  the  Carlist.     Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 
Seats  of  the  Mighty,  The.      Gilbert  Parker. 
Sir  Nigel.    A.  Conan  Doyle. 
Sir  Richard  Calmady.     Lucas  Malet. 
Speckled  Bird.    Augusta  Evans  Wilson. 
Spoilers,  The.    Rex  Beach. 
Sunset  Trail,  The.    Alfred  Henry  Lewis. 
Sword  of  the  Old  Frontier,  A.     Randall  Parrish. 
Tales  of  Sherlock  Holmes.      A.  Conan  Doyle. 
That  Printer  of  Udell's.    Harold  Bell  Wright. 
Throwback,  The.     Alfred  Henry  Lewis. 
Trail  of  the  Sword,  The.    Gilbert  Parker. 
Two  Vanrevels,  The.     Booth  Tarkington. 
Up  From  Slavery.    Booker  T.  Washington. 
Vashti.    Augusta  Evans  Wilson. 

Viper  of  Milan,  The  (original  edition).  Marjorie  Bowen. 
Voice  of  the  People,  The.    Ellen  Glasgow. 
Wheel  of  Life,  The.    Ellen  Glasgow. 
""**!»*«,  j  Was  Czar.    Arthur  W.  Marchmont. 
When  Wilderness  Was  King.    Randall  Parrish. 
Woman  in  Grey,  A.    Mrs.  C.  N.  Williamson. 
Woman  in  the  Alcove,  The.    Anna  Katharine  Green. 

A.  L.  BURT  CO.,  Publishers,  52-58  Duane  St..  New  York  City 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


form  L9-50m-9,'60(B3610s4)444 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A    001  372  336    6 


PS 
1072 

B39 


